The Ninja Story
by NintendoGal55
Summary: After finding a strange, mysterious amulet, Arnold and Helga inexplicably end up in a whole new world. A world of ninjas, danger, death, uncertainty. Soon on, the two kids fall into a whirlwind of adventures. A Hey Arnold/Naruto crossover. ON HOLD.
1. The Amulet

**Well! This was certainly an unexpected idea that came to mind. But to be all honest, I'm quite excited! I hope it turns out well. This is a huge idea for me and I hope so much that you guys will enjoy it, or at least give it a chance.**

**Okay, so, for now, I'm going to keep it in the "main" Hey Arnold section, so you guys won't miss it. Later on I guess I'll move it to the crossover section.**

**So, this is the story's summary:**

**Arnold and Gerald come to find a strange amulet near a dumpster one day. They're pretty curious about it, and are on their way to the boarding house to check it out and see what it is and if they can find the owner of , along the way, they accidentally bump into Helga, which leads to her own little curiosity about the locket, and she and Arnold end up fighting over it, playing Tug-O-War while Gerald is trying to reason with them. Then it drops, opens up, and a strange light is illuminating from it. So now, even more curious, Arnold and Helga both reach for it and touch it, and a bright light flashes, blinding them.**

**When the light clears...**

**Arnold and Helga are gone! Where did they go!? They ended up in a new dimension. A cross-dimension of a world just like theirs...only different.**

**They end up in the dimension containing the world we know of as **_**Naruto**_**. (No, the manga/anime doesn't exist in this story) All along the way they meet up with some characters, having to wander around this strange place with only each other to turn to, and later on become involved with two unlikely allies who they end up teaming up with in order to help the two kids find a way home. It all becomes one big, colossal adventure. And of course, along the way, Arnold comes to terms with his feelings for Helga. :D So no worry, there will be some love between these two! And yes, once again, this takes place after the movie. XD After Helga's confession.**

**All characters belong to their respectful owners. :) Craig Bartlett, Kishimoto Mashashi, and some, owned by me.**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

"How do you do it, Arnold? Really man, how? How do you let Helga G. Pataki just push you around like an old sock and yet you can still show her kindness?"

"Well like I said before Gerald, Helga's really a good person deep down, she's just afraid to show it because she's afraid of getting hurt. She must feel that she can only earn respect if she acts mean." Arnold said, a faraway look in his eyes.

Gerald shook his head. "I don't know what to think sometimes, man."

Arnold nodded slowly. "I know, Gerald. She can be confusing sometimes."

"That's not what I mean, man! It's like you see her in a way no one else does, and you always are so drawn to her for some reason."

"Hey, I don't understand it either, Gerald." Arnold said, and then looked off absently to his right. His eye caught something, and he stopped walking.

"Well you're the one feelin' it, so you must have a better understanding as to why you-Arnold?" Gerald stopped walking as he realized Arnold was no longer walking with him. He turned around, seeing Arnold staring at something in an alley. "Arnold? What are you doing?" He went over to him.

"There's something shiny by that dumpster." Arnold said, pointing into the alley.

Gerald followed his eyes, and came to see that he was right. Half-buried beneath a garbage bag was something shiny sticking out. Both boys went into the alley and moved the garbage bag aside to see what the shiny thing was. Laying on the ground was a strange, oval-shaped golden amulet on a thick golden chain. It glistened in the afternoon sun, with strange markings and drawings carved onto it. It was very thick, and had a clasp on one side, along with a red jewel on the middle of it that seemed to pulsate as if it were alive.

"What...is that?" Gerald wondered out loud, mesmerized.

"I don't know, Gerald." Arnold uttered in amazement, and his hand reached out to touch, hesitating, as if something would happen if he did. "It's so...strange." His hand gingerly reached out and touched it, feeling the smooth gold.

Nothing happened.

Arnold picked it up, and brought it closer to them, examining the strange amulet locket thing. Gerald touched the ruby on the front of it, and once more, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

"Weird...who would throw away a perfectly good antique like this?" Gerald wondered out loud.

"I don't know. Maybe someone lost it." Arnold guessed.

"Lost it? Who the heck would lose something near a dumpster? If this thing had been lost, we'd have probably found it in the street!"

"You never know where you might find a lost item, Gerald. We should take it with us to my house and we'll make posters for it."

"Whatever you say, Arnold."

The boys exited the alleyway and continued on down the street to get back to Arnold's place. While the amulet looked a little strange, it didn't seem like any kind of out-of-the-ordinary amulet locket that had a unique design. Still, there was something about it that was pretty unsettling.

Maybe it was because of that clasp on the side, that meant they could open and see what was inside it? Neither of them knew.

"I wonder where it came from, who owns it, or what it represents." Arnold wondered out loud, studying the amulet curiously. "I can't read the words on here, these markings make no sense."

"No kidding, probably some kind of ancient language or somethin'." Gerald remarked. "Maybe the guy or woman who owns it can shed some light on the subject."

"Maybe." Arnold nodded. "It's pretty cool, maybe it's worth a lot of money, with all that gold and that ruby in there. It's pretty amazing."

"I tell you man, if no one claims this thing, we can sell it to the Antique Shop and get rich!"

"Gerald..."

"I'm just sayin'..."

The boys were so transfixed on their discovery, that they didn't even see Helga coming their way as they turned the corner, and inevitably crashed into her.

"Oof!"

"Oof!"

"Oh, criminy, jeez!"

Arnold rubbed his head, having dropped the amulet, and looked to see Helga on the ground before them. "Helga?"

"Arnold?!" Helga exclaimed in surprise, and then instantly scowled. "I mean, watch where you're going, football head!"

"S-Sorry Helga, we didn't see you there. I didn't mean to crash into you." Arnold stood up and offered his hand to her.

"Whatever, football head. You and Tall-Hair boy had better watch it next time! I mean criminy, don't you know how to look where you're going?!" Helga ranted, and then the amulet still on the ground caught her eye. Curiosity overcame her and she picked it up before Arnold or Gerald could. "And what is this?"

"Oh, uh, it's nothing, Helga. It's just something we found." Arnold said. "Can you give it back, please?"

"Yeah right, like I'm going to give something like THIS back!" Helga said, shaking her head. "Just what is it, anyway?"

"Hey Helga, you mind givin' that back? It's ours and we're keeping it!" Gerald told her indignantly.

"I didn't ask YOU, Geraldo!" Helga snarled.

"Give it back!" Arnold grabbed the amulet, but she held onto it. "Come on, just give it back!"

"No way! I want to see what it is first, hair boy!" Helga tugged it back toward her.

"No! Give it back! It doesn't belong to either of us!" Arnold tugged it back toward him.

Tug. "Got into stealing, Arnold?"

Tug. "No! We just found it, that's all!"

Tug. "Please, not like you'll find who it belongs to. Give it!"

Tug. "We'll find the owner somehow! Now let go!"

Tug. "No way!"

Tug. "Give it back, Helga!"

Tug. "Why should I?"

Tug. "It doesn't belong to either of us! Now let go and give it back!"

Tug. "Forget it, football head."

Tug. "I'm warning you..."

Tug. "Ooooh, I'm sooooo scared! What are you going to do, football head? Hit me?"

Tug. "Look, just give it back!"

"Guys, stop it!" Gerald intervened, trying to grab the amulet from them.

The amulet fell from their hands, and bumped on the side of the sidewalk, the clasp coming loose and causing its chambers to open, and it fell to the ground face up. To their utmost surprise, a glowing light emitted from within the amulet, shining brightly.

"What the heck!?" Helga exclaimed.

"It's glowing...!" Gerald uttered in awe.

"Weird, why is it doing that?" Arnold knelt down and reached out to touch it.

"Oh no you don't, I want to see!" Helga knelt down too, touching the other side of it.

What happened next was something neither of them could explain.

The moment Arnold and Helga's hands touched the amulet, the amulet pulsated, and the light from within its chambers brightened and seemed to expand, blinding them all, and within the blinding light Arnold and Helga screamed loudly, and then strangely faded away as if they were far away. Gerald shielded his eyes, and wanted to ask if they were all right, but no words came out.

Finally, the light cleared, and Gerald adjusted his eyes to the regular sunlight of the daytime, and found a huge surprise.

Arnold and Helga were gone!

"What the...?! Arnold? Arnold? Arnold!? Helga? Where are you guys?! Arnold?! Helga?! Oh no, don't play this on me! What happened?! Guys?! Arnold?! Helga! Arnold!"

In a panic, Gerald searched all over where they once stood, and with no other option hurried off to get home and tell his dad to help him find his mysteriously disappeared friends. And the amulet locket, he didn't notice, was gone too.

* * *

**Well, I wanted to post this now, since I was feeling pretty anxious about it. I want to see what you guys think of the idea. It'll be a while before I continue it, but I assure you, it WILL be done, as long as you guys want it. So, tell me what you think of the idea, and if you want me to continue it, then I will.**

**Let it be known! A Naruto/Hey Arnold crossover! Two of my favourite fandoms brought together. So yeah, let me know what you think of this idea and we'll see where it leads us.  
**


	2. Where are we?

**I know I pretty much said I would wait a while before posting more of this, since I do want to focus on some of my other stories, but I wanted to leave you guys with something where they end up in the other world. So, here we go, and let me know if you still want me to continue this. :)**

**Ahem...  
**

**All right guys, here we are! The story now begins in the **_**Naruto **_**world, and will be for the remainder of this. I may have brief interludes that will go back to see what's going on in Hillwood, if you guys think that's a good idea. Other than that, well, we're going to be just as stuck as Arnold and Helga are!**

**Ooh, I bet you guys have A LOT of questions. XD You can feel free to ask! I will answer some questions, but only if they don't spoil the plot or anything. You'll see, this story will last us quite a while and will be one hell of a great adventure! :D Not just for Arnold, Helga, and the characters involved, but also, for all of you! And me, since I'm writing this. XD**

**Also, I want to say that the Irish accent is NOT identified as an "Irish" accent in the Naruto universe. I believe it to be a world completely different from ours. So yes, while they have accents, I'd just say they identify them simply as foreign.**

**Here we go! I already stated the disclaimer. Orivia is mine, that's all you need to know.  
**

--

Birds were singing. A soft breeze was blowing. Beneath him was soft grass. Huh? What was going on? Weren't they supposed to be on a sidewalk? And why did it seem so...quiet?

Arnold blinked his eyes, adjusting them to the daylight, having also been blinded temporarily because of the strange bright light they had seen. What had happened?

"What...what was that crazy light?" Came a voice.

"Helga?" Arnold looked, seeing Helga where she had been just moments ago when they were kneeling on the sidewalk touching the amulet. Only now, he could see they were touching just grass.

"Arnold?" Helga looked at him with surprise, blinking. She too was trying to get over the strange light that had blinded them. She looked down, seeing that the locket they'd been touching was no longer there. "Huh!? The amulet's gone!"

Arnold looked down, seeing that she was indeed right. The amulet locket was nowhere to be seen. In fact, so was the sidewalk. He looked around them, now seeing that they were in fact, in the middle of a clearing near a forest. Nothing around them seemed familiar, though.

"Arnold...what the heck is going on here?" Helga sounded nervous.

"I-I don't know...but I have a strange feeling we're not in Hillwood anymore..."

Helga felt a sense of panic run through her, realizing that he might have been right. Where were they? What had happened? And more importantly, how did they get here? Nothing made sense, nothing at all.

"I figured THAT much, Einstein." Helga muttered. "But how did we get here?! It doesn't make sense! Just a minute ago we were on the sidewalk!"

The football-headed boy sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know, Helga. All I can guess is that we're....wait. The amulet. Remember when we dropped it, and that strange light was coming from it?"

"Yeah...just what are you saying?"

Arnold paused, it made no sense, but really, other than the idea that they were going crazy, which didn't seem to make sense since they both were facing this together.

Helga too, assumed it was because she was going crazy. But Arnold was still here, and facing the same thing, so it couldn't have been that. It only left her even more confused.

The two kids stood up, looking around them in wonder. Everything about this place seemed so unfamiliar, and while that was unsettling in itself, what was even more unsettling, was how they gotten here. One moment, they were in Hillwood, and then with a bright flash of light, they were instantly in a completely different place, with little to no explanation at all. In fact, it didn't make sense in the least! No human being could travel instantaneously to another location in less than half a second, they knew that much. So what was going on here?

"Helga...either we're going crazy, which I doubt, or that locket had strange, magical powers." Arnold finally said.

Helga scoffed. "PLEASE, football head. If that were true..." Still, she had no argument against it, no matter how ridiculous it seemed. "Well fine. Unless it may be the cause of us going crazy, and we're just dreaming this together because we were both touching it, then fine, let us wake up!"

She punched him in the arm, not hard enough to hurt him, just enough to ensue discomfort.

"Ow! Helga!" Arnold winced, rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"

"Quit whining and let me think!" Helga said, and paced around. "So I guess we're not going crazy...but that just leaves how the heck a freaking amulet thing could actually have the power to-"

"What are you two kids doing here?" A voice interrupted Helga's rant.

Arnold and Helga whipped around, coming to see the owner of the voice. Standing near them was a very tall girl. She had long black hair cascading down her back and past her waist, striking violet eyes, and notably very pale skin. She looked like she could be in high school, probably around 16 years old, and was very tall for a girl. She wore a pink shirt with a red and white fan printed on it, looking as if it were split in half, a red waist-length jacket, black capri pants, black sandals, black fingerless gloves, and around her forehead was a strange headband with a metal plate, bearing the engraved symbol of a strange-looking leaf. Around her right leg was a white bandage set, a few inches along her thigh, with a small holster wrapped around it.

She had an exotic, striking kind of beauty to her, pretty much so that Arnold was quite captivated by her, not going unnoticed by Helga, who scowled jealously.

"What's it to you, _violet_?" Helga responded, crossing her arms, sending the strange girl a glare for daring to steal her boy so easily.

The girl regarded the two of them curiously, and gave a smile. "Well, I'm not sure if you know, but children are not permitted to wander the training grounds without proper permission. Unless, are you two trainees from the Academy?" She spoke, surprisingly, in a very thick Irish accent.

"Huh?" Arnold blinked, now realizing her question and what she was saying. Had they been trespassing? "Oh, no! We're very sorry if we're trespassing, miss. But um, see, my friend and I, we...." He wasn't sure if telling the truth was a good idea. "Um... we just got lost and we ended up in this place. We're sorry if we caused any trouble."

"...Sure, whatever, what he said." Helga muttered.

The teenage girl just smiled and nodded in understanding. "No, no harm done. I just saw you two kids wandering here and I was curious. Are either of you hurt?"

Both kids shook their heads.

"We're fine, thanks. Just a little lost." Arnold replied. "I'm Arnold, and this is Helga."

"I'm Orivia Uchiha, it's nice to meet you both." She smiled more, and offered her hand for them to shake. Arnold did, but Helga just stared.

"Charmed." Helga said sarcastically.

"Right." Orivia withdrew her hand. "If you want, I can take you two back to the village, and then I'll take you home."

Arnold and Helga exchanged nervous glances, and frantically shook their heads.

"No thanks, we'll be fine." Helga said, waving it off. "We'll just be on our-"

"What Helga means is, we can make it home just fine on our own, Miss Uchiha." Arnold said politely. "But if you could take us back to the...village, that'd be great. That's all really, we'll be fine."

"Please please, no need for such formalities." Orivia said. "Call me Orivia, that works just fine for me. Or heck, if you even want to, Teah. That's pretty much my main nickname everyone calls me."

"Teah, that's a nice name. So is Orivia, it sounds like Olivia, I like it." Arnold admitted, looking up at the black-haired girl with a little blush.

Orivia could see this and giggled. "Well thank you. I like the name Arnold, too. It's a nice name."

Helga scrunched her nose, scowling. She did NOT like this girl. Not one bit. How DARE she butter up Arnold like that! No, he was hers! Although not technically. Oh whatever.

_I saw him first!_ Helga thought scornfully.

"Well anyway, I'll take you two back to the village, then." Orivia, or Teah, said with a kind smile. "Follow me then."

"All right." Arnold nodded, and looked to Helga. "Helga? Are you okay?"

"I'm FINE, football head!" Helga snarled. "Sheesh, you don't need to ask me every five minutes!"

Arnold sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, Helga. Come on, let's just go."

The two of them followed after the older girl, in contended silence. Or rather, half contended silence, half jealous scorning. Arnold was staring after her dreamily, a dazed, lovesick smile on his face, his eyes half-lidded. Helga's heart stung, angered at how one girl could steal his heart with him just looking at her. This was not fair.

As they went along, Helga elbowed him in the ribs, making him jump and look at her, annoyed.

"She's too old for you, Arnoldo." Helga muttered. "I mean SHEESH, haven't you learned a thing from Ruth, Summer, and Miss Felter?"

Arnold sighed again, rubbing his side. He couldn't say anything to argue against that. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little too attracted to the pretty teenage girl, her accent added to her exotic charm.

Still, both of them were worried about where they were, and how they were going to get back home. Hopefully the village Orivia was referring to had a map or something, or at least someone who would give them a ride. They walked in silence, and they came to a long bridge that crossed over a stream. It was exotic, looking like some kind of a bridge you would see in Asia. (Yes, it's the bridge that Team 7 always came to.)

As they crossed, a blur of orange came practically flying out of nowhere, or rather, from above, and leaped for the ravenette, who stopped walking and seemed unfazed at this.

"Hello, Naruto." Orivia said plainly.

A shorter boy around the same age now stood behind her, his back to the kids. "Aww man! You mean you knew I was coming?!"

"You know you can't sneak upon me, you loud mouth snook." Orivia turned around and gave him a fond smile. "A ninja always keeps his guard up and senses good and sharp."

"Tch, always like you to look down on me." Naruto muttered, and turned around, grinning. "Well hey there! I didn't know you were training some academy kids!"

The boy, Naruto, was a few inches shorter than Oriva was, with bright blue eyes, short spiky blonde hair, light tan skin, and also wore a headband around his forehead just like hers, but the fabric was black and hers was red. He also had three whisker marks on each cheek, which they attributed as scars. He wore an orange and black jacket, and orange pants, and also had a holster around his right leg.

"Oh, no." Orivia said. "This is Arnold, and that's Helga. These two got lost and ended up in the training grounds, so I'm taking them back to the village. I found them here so I wanted to help them out. Boy, it was a good thing, otherwise they could have ended up in the Forest of Death."

Though she hid it well, Helga felt a shiver run up her spine. This Forest of Death really didn't sound all that appealing. And still she wondered what was up with these guys. While they seemed normal, there was something about them. Most specifically to the Naruto kid, who came out of nowhere from thin air, and that Orivia knew he was coming. Strange.

"No kidding! Well hey, nice to meet you guys! The name's Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki!" He grinned and gave them a thumbs up.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto. I have to ask though, how did you do that? You just jumped out of nowhere, that was really impressive." Said Arnold, looking up at him with fascination and curiosity.

Naruto grinned and laughed. "You're pretty cute, kid! I guess you don't get out much, huh? I'm a ninja, of course! Why else would I be able to do all that stuff? Of course it doesn't come easy, you have to train very hard to reach my level! Believe it!"

"Really? To be a loud mouthed snook who stumbled his way into the big leagues?" Orivia teased good naturedly, smirking at him.

"Hey!" Naruto cried, pouting and blushing in embarrassment. "Don't embarrass me, Teah-nee-chan!"

"What's wrong, Naruto? Can't handle a little jabbing from little ol' me?" She smirked more and poked him on the nose. "Face it short stuff, you're just too fun to tease."

"Don't call me short!"

"Why not? I'm only telling the truth."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her petulantly and turned back to the two kids, both of which staring at the two, not sure whether to laugh. "So! You kids must be hungry. Why don't we all go get some ramen at Ichiraku? It's on me!" He took out his frog wallet and bounced it in his hand.

"Oh that's really nice of you, but we couldn't-"

"Shut it, football head! I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

Orivia giggled. "Sounds good to me. But you don't have to, Naruto, I'll treat you all."

"Oh come on! You always treat! It's my turn!"

"Nope."

"Criminy, enough!" Helga stepped in between the two. "Decide it later, can we go now, PLEASE?!"

Naruto blinked, and gave a laugh. "Sure thing, Helga. No problem!" He glanced at Arnold and gave a grin. "Your girlfriend's fiery, good for you, man."

"Huh!?!?" The football-headed boy did a double take, his eyes wide and his cheeks bright pink. "W-Wait..."

"Please, as if I'd ever date that football-headed geek, Whisker face." Helga muttered, stepping back to where her companion was. When no one was looking, a sad look came across her face. "Whatever! Let's just go."

"Fine by me! The ramen's calling my name! Here we come, ramen! Now onward to the village!" Naruto dramatically pointed ahead of them. "Hey, who knows, we might even run into Sakura!"

A spark of jealousy entered Orivia's eyes, though it was gone in a moment. Helga caught it though, and raised her brow curiously. Instead the raven-haired girl gave a nod of agreement and motioned for the kids to follow them.

The four of them walked on in silence, and eventually, came to the village that was mentioned earlier. Tall buildings were everywhere, soft ground paths to serve as streets, with people in both Japanese and modern Western clothing, as well as other unique styles, walking around proceeding to their daily routines. Stands and carts were located around, exotic smells filled the air, as did the sound of chatter and people walking. A few people even were wearing the same headband with the leaf symbol on it. What was it? Some kind of sports team? Were they players?

A few of the village folk as they passed cast dirty looks, stares, or moved away from Naruto, and to Orivia. Both of which seemed to tense up, but they hid it pretty well and said nothing.

Eventually, they came to an outdoor stand, halfway covered in blinds with Japanese writing on them, and they went under, coming to see a counter with some stools, like they had in Asia. A middle-aged man was behind the counter, cooking something, and he grinned at them.

"Hey, Naruto! Hello, Your Highness!" The man said, grinning. "Your usuals, I presume?"

"You bet, Old Man!" Naruto grinned. "What flavour do you guys want?"

"Just gimme the beef and we'll be golden." Said Helga. "What about you, football head? Come on, you should know by now that ramen is instant noodles."

"Huh? Oh, right! I'll just have chicken flavour."

"Coming right up!" The man said, and went to go cook some more, calling out to his daughter.

The four of them sat on the stools, and patiently waited for the ramen, all the while thinking of something to talk about.

"So wait, lemme get this straight, _Your Highness_?" Helga then said, looking at Orivia. "What, you some kind of high power political figure or something?"

"You mean she didn't tell you?" Naruto asked in surprise. "You don't know who she is?"

"Never mind, Naruto." Orivia hissed, embarrassed.

"No no, this is gonna be good!" Naruto said, and turned back to them. "She's not just any political figure! She's a Princess! A real Princess, she has a Kingdom and a palace and everything!"

"Princess?!" Arnold and Helga exclaimed in stereo. This was certainly new. Not once in their lives had they been in the presence of Royalty.

"You're really a Princess?"

Orivia nodded slowly. "Yes. I am. I'm the Princess of a small region on a mountain that is north of the Fire Country." She then elbowed Naruto in the side, and he grinned sheepishly.

"Here you go, kids!" The old man placed bowls of steaming ramen in front of them. "Enjoy!"

"All right!" Naruto took some chopsticks from the cup. "Let's eat!"

Gingerly, Helga took a pair of chopsticks, since she'd tried them once or twice at Phoebe's place, but she wasn't very good with them. Arnold took a pair too, seeming to be pretty nervous also. They exchanged glances, broke the chopsticks apart, and tried to hold them the way Naruto and Orivia were. But it was proven difficult.

"Are you two okay?" Orivia then asked, making them tense up. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, uh, nothing!" Helga said, waving it off. "Nothing at all!"

She smirked at them. "You can't use chopsticks, can you?"

Helga gulped, looking at Arnold, hoping he'd have an answer to all of this. But he shook his head glumly.

"No, we can't."

"Hey, no problem!" Naruto said. He called to the man. "Hey old man, can you bring us a couple of forks?"

Teuchi nodded and reached into a drawer, and handed them two forks. "Here you go!"

"Thanks, sir..." Arnold said, relieved, and Helga nodded in agreement, and they started to eat.

The ramen was very good. REALLY good.

"Hey! Wait a second. You said earlier you were a ninja." Helga remembered. "So what was that about? And frankly, that weird headband you guys are wearing, what are you, some kind of players to your village's sports team or something?"

Orivia and Naruto both exchanged glances and laughed a bit.

"Gosh, you kids must live under a rock or something!" Naruto said. "Of course we're ninjas! We proudly serve in protecting the village!"

"We serve under the orders of the village leader, the Hokage." Orivia added. "The Hokage is the strongest ninja of them all."

"And one day, I'm gonna be the Hokage!" Naruto pumped a fist into the air. "And I'm going to lead this village in a golden age of prosperity, and everyone will treat me like I'm somebody!"

Helga managed a little smile. It looked like she and Naruto were going to get along just fine.

"Whatever you say, Future Konoha Hokage." Orivia teased him, earning a pout from the boy. She then cast him a sweet smile, and he grinned back at her.

"You guys are really ninjas, that's pretty cool." Said Arnold, slurping some more noodles. "What's it like?"

"It's full of danger, and every day you never know what could happen!" Naruto said dramatically. "But at the same time, hey, you get a lot of excitement, you can travel to all kinds of great places. Hey, it makes it seem like one big vacation!"

"It takes training, discipline, and determination to reach high." Said Orivia, and looked at the two of them. "You two aren't from around here, are you?"

Helga looked at Arnold nervously, and he shook his head and smiled.

"No, we're from Hillwood."

"...Hill...wood?" Orivia questioned. "I don't believe I've heard of that place."

"Me neither." Naruto agreed. "Where is it?"

"Washington State."

Their levels of worry were rising as the two ninjas stared at them with confusion and curiosity. This was not looking good at all.

"We're just...uh...on vacation here with our...parents." Helga said, her voice dropping. "And we...got lost...separated from them...yeah."

"Er, yeah." Arnold said, playing along.

"Are you two brother and sister?"

"No!" The kids said in surprise.

"I'm here with my parents, and we brought Arnold along." Helga lied. "They...uh... let us do some shopping in the village, and we have to meet them a little later at a designated meeting point."

"Oh." Orivia said, buying it. "Well we can bring you there and wait with you for your parents to-"

"No no, that's okay." Arnold said quickly. "We'll be fine, don't worry. I'm sure you guys have a busy schedule today, we don't want to be a bother."

"Not at all, kiddo!" Said Naruto. "We have the week off, anyway."

"We don't mind, really." Helga said, waving her hands. "We'll just go ourselves, we'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Because-"

"Criminy, we just told you a thousand times, we'll be FINE!" Helga yelled. "So quit it! We don't need help!"

"Helga..." Arnold coaxed. "Don't be rude."

"Well all right, we understand." Orivia said, trying to ward off the tension. "If that's what you two want and you'll be back safe with your parents, then that's all right. We understand."

Arnold and Helga both heaved soft sighs of relief, and then went back to eating their ramen. Despite the change in things, they were still pretty worried about one thing. Where were they? And how were they going to get back home?

It was all a big mystery.


	3. Konoha

**Okay, I decided to put up another chapter. :3 To get you guys used to the idea here. I will update more frequently much later, when I finish a few other things first. So...I hope you like this chapter. I know you guys are apprehensive of the idea, since you're either unfamiliar with the series or may not like it, but trust me, I think you guys will be very unexpectedly surprised. All I ask is that you give it a chance. C: Thank you.  
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**Shippo is a character belonging to my friend ~Korose-17 of deviantART. We generally pair him with my OC Orivia. ;) X3**

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"Thanks so much for treating us to ramen, that was really nice of you." Arnold said with a grateful smile.

"Hey, no problem!" Naruto grinned. "It was our pleasure."

"We were glad to." Orivia agreed. "So, do you want to walk around a little, explore a bit and then we'll take you to the village entrance so you can meet your parents there. Don't worry, we'll respect your wishes and drop you off. Okay?"

Arnold and Helga both exchanged glances, she just gave a scowl and shrugged in a "whatever" manner, and he too conceded. They DID want to get home soon, and try to find a way out, but they decided to humour the two teenagers and hang out with them a bit. Maybe they could get some directions or at least a map on how to get out of here.

Admittedly, Arnold certainly didn't mind being able to look at Orivia a little longer anyway. Sure, she was an older girl and definitely nowhere near interested, but he couldn't help it, she was a pretty face and pretty nice, even with her silly teasing. And hey, it wasn't often he met someone with violet eyes.

Still, he wondered why Helga seemed so bothered by it.

Oh, wait.

Before he pondered it further, Helga poked him on the arm to get his attention, and he walked alongside her after the two ninjas, and then, the peaceful silence between them all was broken.

"Naruto!" Cried an angry, shrill voice.

"Ah! Sakura!" Naruto gasped as a pink-haired girl came up to them.

Both Arnold and Helga gawked with surprised and dropped jaws as they saw a girl, shorter than Naruto and Orivia, their age, with PINK hair, and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a dark red sleeveless shirt, black shorts with a beige slitted skirt tied around it, sandal boots, pink elbow bands, black gloves, and a magenta forehead protector worn on her head like a headband, also graving the same leaf symbol they now knew was the Shinobi symbol of the village.

The pink-haired girl, apparently Sakura, stomped up to Naruto angrily, and held a fist to his face.

"Just what the hell were you thinking?!"

"W-What do you mean?" Naruto asked, gulping and holding his hands up in defense.

"You know what you did you-"

"Sakura." Orivia reached out and grabbed Sakura's wrist in a swift move, her voice stern. "Explain yourself. He's not a mind reader."

Sakura sighed and yanked her arm away from the ravenette.

"You had Jiraiya write that stupid new edition of Make-Out Paradise using OUR names! How could you do such a thing?! Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is for me?! Why did you do that?!"

"H-Huh!?" Naruto's cheeks turned bright pink. "I-I didn't make him do that, Sakura! I swear! I'd never do that!"

"Oh save it! Don't even try to deny it!" Sakura grabbed the collar of his jacket. "I'll make you pay for that!"

_Criminy! She's as aggressive as I am!_ Helga thought, amazed. _And what's that Make-Out Paradise...?_ The very title itself was intriguing...

"Wait a minute Sakura," Orivia said, her tone thoughtful and stern. "Come on, do you really take Naruto for that kind of person? Yes, he's pulled a lot of pranks... including dying my hair purple, but he would never do such a thing like that."

"Tch. Then why else would that perverted Sannin do that?!"

"Sakura, it's true!" Naruto pleaded. "I-"

"Just admit it you-"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, come on."

"Arnold?!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise as the shorter blonde boy came between them.

"Huh?" Sakura finally noticed him, and then Helga. "...Um, who are you two?"

"I'm Arnold, and she's Helga." Said Arnold. "Look, I understand you're upset about this whole situation, even though I don't quite know what you're talking about, but violence and fighting aren't going to solve it."

"We're ninjas, in case you didn't know." Sakura chided. "This is how we-"

"He has a point, Sakura." Orivia agreed. "Just because we're ninjas doesn't exactly entitle us to solve our problems with unnecessary violence."

"But he-"

"Listen," Arnold went on to coax her. "If Naruto did something wrong, you should tell him how you feel about it. Talk about it to each other, and let him tell his side of the story. I'm not sure if he did do what you said he did, but whether or not he did, you two should talk it over instead of taking out your frustration about it on him."

Sakura was about to protest again, but she paused, considering his words. Yes, she did have a bad habit of hitting Naruto when he stepped out of line, since that was the only way she knew how to calm someone, and yes she did tend to hit him if he made her angry. But it was what she did, and she knew that if he truly hated it, he'd dodge.

Still, maybe they were right.

"...Fine." Sakura sighed, and looked at Naruto. "Naruto, seeing our names in that book, doing all that...it made me very upset. I can't believe you actually went behind my back and did that to me."

Naruto tensed a little more, but could see this was working. So bravely, he managed to answer her back. "I understand why you'd be mad about that Sakura, but...I swear, I didn't do it. I didn't tell the old perverted sage to do that. I wouldn't do that kind of thing. Come on Sakura, I'm grown up now, I don't do all those things I did when I was a kid anymore. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Everyone stood silent, watching Sakura for signs of her reaction.

The rosette sighed, and looked at him again with a sincere smile.

"I understand, Naruto. I accept your apology. I-I guess I shouldn't have jumped to a conclusion so quickly because of the circumstances without hearing you out first. I'm sorry I got a little violent there." She said.

Heaving a sigh, he grinned. "It's okay, Sakura! Water under the bridge, it's all good. I understand! But you know, thanks, for not pounding me."

"You're off the hook for now." Sakura said. "I guess you're little friend with the odd-shaped head was a Godsend."

_I couldn't agree more..._ Helga thought, a dazed, lovesick smile on her face.

"Hey, why not?" Naruto ruffled the smaller boy's hair affectionately. "You're a good egg, Arnold."

Arnold blushed a bit in embarrassment. He was always one to help others, and getting praised for it was flattering, but he was humble, and got a little bashful in these moments. Still, he smiled.

"It's what I do, really. I just like to help people." He gave a light shrug.

Sakura smiled too. "That's a really good quality to have."

"I agree." Said Orivia.

"Okay, okay, we got it! The football head's all great and awesome, whoop-dee-do! Now can we move on?! I'm getting a little bored here!" Helga then announced, though she wanted to sit back and listen to him get praised all day long. She couldn't agree more with what they said about him. Heck, he was getting praised by a PRINCESS! Royalty! He deserved that, completely.

Still, Arnold just gave a knowing smile. "Whatever you say, Helga."

But then another interruption came into place.

"Hellooooo, buddies."

"Well hey! It's ol' Captain Silver! You have a good mission?" Naruto greeted to someone who came up to them.

The newcomer was a tall boy, with silvery white hair, and magenta-pink eyes, shimmering with brightness and life. He was in a black long-sleeved shirt, a purple jacket, a mesh shirt, black gloves, and black pants. He too, was obviously a ninja, along with the holster tied around his leg. He was around the other ninjas age, maybe a year or so older.

"Heya, Naruto. You bet I did! And it's good to be back!" The boy greeted, slapping him a high five. He nodded politely to Sakura, and then his eyes fell to Orivia. He brightened visibly, and seemed to look at her in a certain way. "Ah, Teah, my dear lady friend! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes..."

He went to her, and gave her a bit of a seductive smirk, touching his fingers to her chin.

Orivia blushed deeply. "Good to see you too, Shippo." She finally said.

Shippo grinned at her, and then kissed her on the cheek, making her turn as red as her jacket, and he grinned some more. That was when he finally noticed the two kids. With a friendly smile, he approached Helga.

"Well hello there, little lady. Who might you be?"

Helga stared up at him, her face twisted into a scowl and of pure confusion. She could see he that he definitely had a thing for Orivia, given the way he looked at her, talked to her, and of course, the kiss on the cheek. Then again, she caught earlier that she seemed to have her eye on Naruto...

Still, she wasn't too fond of being greeted by a charming, sweet-talker.

"Helga. Helga G. Pataki." She finally said. "And don't you forget it, bucko!"

"Whoa-ho!" Shippo exclaimed, and laughed. "A feisty gal! I like that. Well then, Miss Helga G. Pataki, it's lovely to meet you." He took her hand and kissed it, sending her a wink. "So what's the G stand for?"

Helga was, needless to say, quite shocked and weirded out. She'd never had a guy approach her like this, nor did a guy ever kiss her hand! ...Except Arnold, for that one time on Valentine's Day that she was pretending to be Cecile, and he had kissed her hand at the end of the date.

Great. Now some other dude took that in. Arnold and only Arnold was allowed to do such a thing!

Arnold, meanwhile, suddenly felt a strange tinge of jealousy course through him. He'd never expected to see someone actually kiss Helga's hand! Yes, in most cultures, it was a romantic thing to do and also, a way to show respect and a kind greeting to a lady. But strangely, seeing someone kiss her hand like that just didn't sit well with him, and he didn't understand why.

But why did it matter? The boy was older than her, and was obviously just being polite and treating a girl with respect.

Helga scowled more and wretched her hand away. "It stands for get the heck out of my face! And don't kiss me again!"

Shippo laughed and gave her a thumbs up. "All right then, Helga. If that's what you want." He then turned to Arnold and gave him a friendly smile. "And hello there. What's your name?"

Snapping out of his reverie, Arnold smiled politely and held his hand out. "My name's Arnold. I'm Helga's friend."

"Pleased to meet you, Arnold. I'm Shippo Yabun, ninja bodyguard at your service, good sir." The older boy said, shaking his hand and grinning. He then looked at Orivia. "Are you training some newbies from the academy?"

The ravenette shook her head. "No. These two are here on vacation with Helga's parents. When they went off their separate ways, the kids got lost in the training grounds, and I found them there. So I took them back here, met up with Naruto, we had ramen together, and now we're just showing them around a little before we take them to meet their parents."

"Ah." Shippo nodded, and turned to the two kids. "Well, you two are going to be in for quite a treat! A great village this is, mm-hmm. And well, I have to report to the Hokage and get to work on some things, so I bid you all farewell for now!"

He went to Orivia again, and gave her that same, seductive smirk. She looked up at him with surprised eyes.

"And I'll see you again later, my Princess." He winked at her, and then was about to leave, when Helga grabbed his jacket sleeve.

"Just a second there." She said. "Mind if I have a word with you, pink eyes?"

Everyone stared at her weirdly, Shippo just laughed.

"Of course, Helga. Come with me."

The two went over to a nearby tree, well out of earshot of the rest of the group.

"Okay, seriously, your creepiness is kind of weird, and frankly, you are openly flirting with that Ninja Princess!" Helga said in a loud, low voice. "So what are you doing?"

Shippo blinked, not having expected that from her. He blushed a bit, and still managed a little laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, you're a pretty sharp gal, Helga." He said sheepishly. "Ah, what the heck. I'll admit. I love that girl, Teah...oh Teah. She's gorgeous, and more tempting than candy to a child." He glanced at her, and then looked back at the pigtailed girl. "But she likes Naruto."

"So that's it? That's what's stopping you?" Helga snorted, though she knew exactly how that felt. "Please. He obviously likes Sakura."

"Well, true, but-"

"No buts about it!" Helga poked his nose. "Come on, he likes Sakura, even though she's kinda crazy and has that pink hair. But that's not the point! So quit playing with her and just admit it! She'll just wonder what the heck is up with you! You act like you're in love with her, and she thinks you just like her as a friend!"

Shippo once again was taken by surprise, and then he gave a little smirk. "Well, then I suppose that's why you act like you hate Arnold, even though you really love him?"

"HUH!?" Helga shouted a little too loudly, though it didn't go noticed to the rest of the group where they were. Phew. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

The silver-haired boy laughed heartily. "Kiddo, before I caught up with you guys, I was reading the newspaper, and I noticed you guys up ahead." He smirked. "And I saw you making those eyes at Arnold, and then you were expressing hatred toward him. Am I to guess is that you love him, but, you cover your feelings by acting like you hate him, because you're afraid he'll reject you?"

The blonde girl blushed furiously and shook her head rapidly. "You're crazy! As if I would ever fall for that football-headed geek! He's short, has weird hair, a football-shaped head, he's a goody-two-shoes, can't leave well enough alone, always obsessed with doing the right thing, giving people advice left and right! I can't stand the little runt! I hate him! Hate him!"

Shippo just smiled, in a way to tell Helga that he wasn't buying it. She noticed this, and sighed heavily.

"Well kiddo, I can understand your predicament. I'll just give you a little piece of advice. Don't give up." He saluted to her, and then walked off away, waving to the group as he headed off.

Helga stared after him for a few moments, considering his words, and then she went back to everyone else. They all looked at her questioningly, but decided against asking what they'd spoken about. So, they continued on walking around the main strip of the village. All the while, Naruto, Orivia and Sakura pointed out some things to the kids as they gave them the little tour.

Arnold was, admittedly, very fascinated by this village. It seemed so primitive and exotic, full of Asian-based culture, and yet, it had a lot of modern aspects to it. He could see a lot of power lines, so that meant they had electricity, he saw stores selling appliances, so that meant they had some modern inventions. He also was fascinated by the Hokage monument, which reminded him of Mount Rushmore. Naruto had even bragged that one day his head would be up there, making everyone laugh.

Helga too, was quite transfixed with the village, though she didn't exactly show it. Hey, she was Helga after all. Still, she smiled as she took in the sights and attractions of the place, admiring all that it had to offer. It was very charming, in her opinion. A very neat place to come and visit, shop around, see things...it was very exotic and just dripping with culture. And ninjas! That really interested her, she had so many questions she wanted to ask.

It was pretty amazing.

Though the both of them were still a little wary about the whole situation, they did feel a little better, since now they made friendly with a few of the locals and were a little more used to the place. Who knows, maybe they would come back again in the future after they made it back home. It was pretty interesting, and would be nice to see when they weren't so wary and wondering how to get home.

Helga glanced at Arnold, clearly speculating her question of what they were going to do about this. Arnold noticed this, and gave a nod in understanding before he spoke up to get the attention of the three teenagers.

"Um, do you guys know where we can get a map? We...uh....wanted to get one to take home as a souvenir. And plus, we don't know our way around." Arnold said.

"Of course! The touristic information center is not far from here." Said Orivia. "What kind of map? Do you want a map of the village, the Shinobi countries, or a more international map?"

"A world-wide map, please." Said Arnold. "And if we can find some that offer road directions, that would help too."

Sakura gave a nod. "No problem, we can get you some of those. Come on, we'll go get them right now."

They went to the main square of town, and went over to a small stand with an awning, with some maps, pamphlets, and other informational packets sat on display, while a young man sat behind the counter, reading the newspaper. Naruto paid the man a couple of coins, and then took a few maps and road maps, handing them to the kids. He even bought a little satchel they could use to hold them, since he noticed they had nothing on hand to carry them in.

"Here you go, Arnold and Helga! Hope these will help you guys out!" He said.

"Thanks, Naruto." Arnold said, feeling relief settling in. He placed the maps into the bag and slung it on his shoulder.

"No problem at all!"

They walked around some more, and then Sakura looked at her watch, announcing she had to go and meet with Tsunade, whom they explained was the Fifth Hokage, and had to go. With Naruto calling out to her flirtatiously, making her glare at him, and the black-haired girl sulk with jealousy, not that anyone but Helga noticed.

They then were greeted by three other ninjas, probably a year older or the same age. One of them was a tall boy with long, dark brown hair, and the strangest eyes ever seen. They were really light silver with white pupils. The girl was a brown-eyed, brown-haired girl with her hair done up in two buns on either side of her head. The other boy, had a black and white Beatles haircut, black eyes, and very, VERY thick eyebrows.

"Good day, Naruto! And good day to you, Princess Orivia!" The thick-eyebrowed boy greeted enthusiastically, and bowed in respect. "What a wonderful day it is!"

"Hey, Lee!" Naruto greeted him with a high five. "How's it going, guys?"

"Very well, thank you." Said the silvery-eyed boy. "We have just finished our patrolling duties."

"And all is well, I presume?" Orivia asked him.

"Yes, correct." He said, nodding.

"It's been pretty quiet these days, no wonder." Said the bun-haired girl. She noticed the two kids and smiled. "Oh, hi! I didn't notice you two. Naruto, are you and Orivia-sama training academy students?"

"Nope! These are just two kids here on vacation, long story. This is Arnold, and that's Helga." Naruto introduced. "Arnold, Helga, this is Rock Lee, Neji Hyuuga, and Tenten. They're ninjas just like me and Teah-nee-chan!"

"That's Teah and I, Naruto." Orivia corrected him, smiling brightly.

"Quit it!" Naruto pouted.

"Well hello, kids!" Lee greeted, shaking their hands eagerly. "Youthfulness has always been the greatest attribute one could have! Don't ever let it slip away!"

"Uh...right, sure." Helga pulled her hand away, weirded out even more.

"Arnold, Helga." Neji gave them a polite nod. "It is nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Arnold smiled.

"Gosh, forgive me for saying, but I love the shape of your head!" Tenten said. "It's so unique!"

Arnold blushed. "Well, thank you...that's nice of you to say."

Helga scowled lightly. Great, another girl buttering him up. Just what she needed.

"Hey guys!" Came another voice from behind.

Everyone turned and came to see three other ninjas walking over to them. One of them was tall, wearing a long green coat with the hood down, dark sunglasses, and seemed all cool and apathetic. The other boy was a spiky brown-haired boy with red triangular marks on his face, accompanied by a HUGE dog. HUGE! So big that the boy was riding on him like a horse! With them was a girl, with long purple hair, and like Neji's eyes, hers were really light lavender with white pupils. They must've been related somehow.

"Hello guys, did you just get back from your mission?" Asked Orivia.

"Yep!" Said the boy sitting on the dog, which he then climbed off of. "And we saw you guys here so we-" He then noticed the kids now. "Well lookie here! Are you guys-"

"Before you say anything, no, they're not academy students. It's a long story." Orivia interrupted, and smiled. "This is Arnold, and this is Helga. Arnold, Helga, this is Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka and his dog Akamaru, and Hinata Hyuuga. And yes, she is related to Neji. They're cousins."

"Hey, Arnold and Helga! Nice to meet you!" Kiba grinned at them. "And wow, you've got a really funny head!"

"Hello." Said Shino, nodding toward them.

"H-Hello, Arnold...Helga...it's...it's lovely to m-meet you...both..." Hinata said shyly, smiling at them and blushing a bit.

_Real shy girl, weird hair and eyes....still, she's pretty._ Helga thought. She managed a polite smile. "Yeah, likewise."

"Nice to meet you guys too. We're just visiting here with Helga's parents. We split up earlier, and Helga and I got lost in the training grounds, Orivia found us and then took us back here." Arnold explained.

"Ohhhhh, that's what it's all about." Kiba said, and nodded in approval.

"It's a good thing they didn't end up in the Forest of Death!" Naruto remarked.

"A-Are you....two...a-all right...?" Hinata asked softly.

"Yeah, we're fine." Helga said dismissively. "So is your hair colour real or not?"

Hinata giggled. "It's...it's...real."

"Oh, can you JUST feel the power of their youth?! It's astounding!" Lee exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air and then did an exagerated pose. "Oh! Look at the time! I must be getting going, I have to meet Gai-sensei! 750 laps around the village! I bid you all farewell! Good luck, dear children!" Lee saluted them and jumped off into thin air, it seemed.

Neji and Tenten rolled their eyes, though they smiled a little at the determination and hardwork of their teammate.

"Well, we must be going as well. I have to report to the Hokage of our mission." Said Neji. "I will see you tomorrow, Naruto."

Naruto nodded. "Right! Got it, Neji! Training grounds at two, right?"

Neji nodded. "Correct. Good day, everyone." He gave them all nod and then walked off as well.

"I'll have to get going too, I have a lot to do today, and tonight." Tenten groaned, but she smiled anyway. "Arnold, Helga, it was lovely to meet you both. I hope your visit here is a good one, and maybe I'll see you again someday. Be careful, all right?"

"Thanks a lot, Tenten. We appreciate it. Take care." Arnold smiled, and gave a little wave.

Tenten grinned and said goodbye to everyone else before she too walked off into the village.

"You two kids ready to go?" Naruto said, and both of them nodded. "All right then!"

"We're taking them to the village gates so they can meet her parents." Orivia explained to the other three ninjas. "Do you want to come along?"

"Sure, I don't have anything to do right now anyway. You guys?" Kiba asked.

Shino nodded. "I don't mind coming along."

"I-I don't...mind either..." Hinata said shyly.

With that they headed off again, with Kiba and Akamaru following from behind, which left both kids wondering how a dog could be as big as a horse! When asked, Kiba just simply replied that Akamaru grew to that size like it was nothing.

Oh well.


	4. Departure of sorts

**Well I want to thank those of you who are giving this story a chance. Especially YOU, SuprSingr! :D I appreciate it! Trust me, if anything, I think you'll probably like the adventures and also, the ArnoldxHelga loveness that will come into play over the story. X3**

**Updates on this, as I said, may be slow, but I'll post from time to time. :3  
**

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"So then, come out with it, where are you kids from?" Kiba finally asked.

"We're from Hillwood." Said Arnold. "It's in Washington State."

The Inuzuka teen looked at him with confusion. "Where's that? I don't remember seeing a place like that before."

"P-Perhaps...it's...beyond...here....?" Hinata guessed.

"Hey don't worry, I'm just as confused as you guys are!" Naruto chimed in. "Still, sounds like a pretty neat place! What's it like?"

"It's a small city, just outside the countryside." Arnold explained. "But it's pretty big, and it has a lot to offer. Helga and I, we go to school together and often play baseball with our friends and classmates."

"Baseball?" Orivia said, and looked back at the two of them. "Base...ball? I never heard of that. What is baseball?"

Arnold was beginning to wonder why they seemed so confused about this. It was as if they were living under a rock. They had to have some form of entertainment or information retention, right? Or were ninjas really so busy? Were they further away from home than they thought? What was going on here?

He had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.

"Baseball is a sport." Helga answered for him, noticing that he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "You start off with..."

As Helga explained baseball to them, Arnold still continued to wonder just what was happening. Why did it seem like they were in some kind of a different world? Why did everything here seem so familiar, and yet, somehow so different?

Something wasn't right.

"And then you have short stop, the hot spot, which is actually-"

"Um, Helga? Can I talk to you in private for a second?" Arnold interrupted, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"Hey, I'm talking here, football head!" Helga snapped. But she could see the worried look in his eyes, which concerned her deep down. Rolling her eyes, she conceded. "Oh, fine."

He took her by the hand and led her away to a nearby alleyway, while the others watched them go, a little perplexed.

"What's up with them?" Kiba asked no one in particular.

"No idea." Said Naruto. "But I guess it's a bit of a problem they want to solve themselves."

--

"What the heck is up with you!? You've been acting weird since we've been here!" Helga whispered loudly so as not to catch any attention from a passerby.

"Helga, I think something is wrong about all of this." Arnold told her.

"Um, doi! Tell me something I don't know, paste-for-brains!" Helga muttered, crossing her arms petulantly.

"I'm serious! Helga, I don't even know if we're even in the same country!" Arnold whispered loudly, sounding panicked. "More so, we don't even know how we got here in the first place!"

Helga gave a sigh, realizing he was right. She too, was worried about all of this, though she was hiding it better. All of this puzzled her greatly, almost to the point of where she wanted to scream and yell in fright, because of all the uncertainty clouding around them. Seeing Arnold as worried as he was didn't help things, she hated seeing him worry. Most especially, they were ALONE together. 95% of her was overjoyed with that, being alone with her beloved with little to no interruption at all, with no one they know seeing them, and no Lila to steal away his affections. However, the other 5% was freaked out, given his reaction to what had happened between them atop the FTi building, which she concluded as rejection, but at the same time, it was still pretty ambiguous since he spoke more out of "What? I'm confused!" as opposed to "I don't like you". He didn't exactly reject her, but he also didn't reciprocate. So partly, she was afraid of her secret getting back out, since apparently he believed she was lying, or rather, facing real rejection.

This was not going to be easy. But at the same time, she was just very glad that she was stuck here with him. If it had been anyone else, it would be hell. Unless it were Phoebe, of course. By then she'd be comforted knowing her best friend was by her side, but at the same time, worrying and missing Arnold like crazy. She was here with him, and took comfort in that greatly.

It was just too bad she couldn't show it. At least, not enough to make her look like she loved him. It would be easy, since he'd understand she was freaked out about this new place.

"Okay, fine, you may be right, football head." Helga conceded.

Arnold sighed, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I don't know for sure, Helga, but I know that something really isn't right about this place. I have a bad feeling about all of this, and I think that getting home won't be as easy as we thought."

Helga frowned, worried. "What are you talking about?"

"This place is like some kind of a primitive Japanese village, and yet somehow it also has modern upgrades. Like electricity, appliances, and apparently computers. Thing is, even with all this, it seems like everyone is in a different world."

"Please, they just have a different culture than us! There are a lot of people in other countries around the world who haven't a clue what baseball is, Arnoldo."

"Yes, that's true, but I have a feeling it's not that simple!"

"Will you quit overreacting!?" Helga scolded. "Look, we'll just go to the village entrance of this place, and look at the maps in private so that our ninja friends there don't suspect us! We'll find a way to get back home even if we have to hijack a car!"

"Helga, we're nine! We couldn't intimidate someone enough to steal their car! And besides, we can't even drive!" Arnold protested, and calmed down. "Okay, we'll look at the maps later and try to figure out a way to get home. But we should really stock up on supplies."

"With what money?" Helga snorted. "In case you didn't know, we don't have any money! And even if we did, I saw the money Orivia and Naruto were using when they paid for the maps and the ramen. It was nothing like ours! They use a very different currency, doi!"

Arnold groaned, releasing her shoulders, realizing she was right. This was getting harder and harder by the minute.

"And we can't just ask for that kind of thing, either." Arnold said, sighing heavily. "We'll have to find a way to earn the money they use around here. Maybe we can do some odd jobs for the locals or something."

"One flaw with that, Arnold." Helga said, wagging her finger. "Did you forget they think we're LEAVING? If they find us still here tomorrow or in a few days, or even more than once, they'll want to know why we're here and of course, who my parents are and where they are and probably even want to meet them! And we can't just tell them we had a change of plans, no responsible person with a brain would let two kids decide this kind of thing on their own without the parental OK. We're going to have to leave the village and go find some other place to earn money. Until then, we'll scavenge for food and maybe eat berries, fruits, and other stuff growing in the ground or on trees. Or if nothing else, we'll hitchhike."

Arnold sighed, shaking his head. "Whatever you say, Helga. C'mon, we better get back to the others."

Helga nodded and the two slipped out from the alleyway, going back over to the five ninjas, who were patiently waiting and talking casually amongst each other. Upon noticing the two, they smiled and turned to them.

"Well there you two are! What took ya?" Naruto grinned.

"It's nothing, we were just talking of some stuff, whisker boy." Helga said as casually as possible.

"Whisker boy? Ooh! That's cute!" Orivia said, giggling.

"Oh no! Don't start calling me that!" Naruto cried, shaking his head frantically.

"C'mon, you know you like it, Naruto." Orivia smirked and stepped closer to him. "You know you do. Whisker boy."

"I don't! Quit calling me names! My name's Naruto! Naruto!"

Kiba laughed heartily. "Come on, lighten up, buddy."

"Quit it!" Naruto pouted, crossing his arms childishly and pouting. "It's not funny!"

"Oh Naruto, don't be such a sour-puss, you know how that makes me feel." Orivia said in mock sadness. "Come on, you know we love you! Now c'mere, you..."

"Oh no, no no no! Don't you dare! You wouldn't!"

"I wouldn't?"

"Not in front of these guys!"

"Too late, snookie."

Naruto couldn't even escape as Orivia grabbed him by throwing her arm around his neck, pulling him toward her and giving him a playful noogie. He squirmed and struggled, but she was too strong. Before long he started to laugh and still playfully tried to escape her grip.

"Noooooo!! Stop!!" Naruto laughed.

"Say my name, snook! Come on, say my name! Tell me I'm awesome!"

"Gah! No! I'll never talk! Never!"

"Say my name, you!"

"Noooooo! Stop!"

Kiba laughed hard, holding his stomach. Shino uttered a soft chuckle of amusement, and even Hinata giggled a little. Helga gave a knowing smirk and then laughed her head off, feeling a little less hatred toward the black-haired girl. Arnold even cracked a smile and started to laugh too, seeing the good-natured display of fooling around like a couple of kids between the two of them. Sure he felt bad seeing a boy get man-handled practically by a girl, even if it was just playing, but it was fun to watch a display of being silly.

"Lemme go, sis!" Naruto cried, and Orivia released him. "Sheesh! You could kill me, you know!"

"But then I wouldn't have my favourite sparring partner." Orivia pouted, and then smiled. "C'mooooooonn."

Naruto grinned at her and threw an arm around her waist. "Ah, you're too much, sis. I can't stay mad at you!"

"You can't stay mad at anyone!" Kiba laughed.

"Except for Sasuke! That bastard, he oughta-"

"Naruto, watch your language! There are children here!" Orivia scolded. She shook her head and looked back at the kids. "Sorry about that, I see we got a little sidetracked. Oh! That reminds me, do you two have any money on you?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Oh yeah, you bet! Lots and lots of it! We're super rich, ya know, but we just couldn't bear to flaunt it...well DOI! Of course we don't! My oh-so perfect parents neglected to give the football head and I any money!" Helga shouted, crossing her arms.

"Oooh, fiery girl." Kiba remarked, and Shino nodded in agreement.

"Oh, that's what I thought." Orivia nodded, and then she took out her wallet, taking a few paper bills and holding it out to the two of them. "Here you two, take some of this. It should be enough to hold you two over in case you need anything while you wait for your parents."

Helga reached out to grab it, when Arnold spoke up.

"We definitely appreciate that, Princess Orivia, but we really can't accept that." Arnold said, gently pushing her hand away.

"Nonsense, think of it as a gift." Orivia smiled, holding the money out to him.

"I agree with her, it's a gift! Just take it, Arnoldo!"

"No really, we can't accept it." Arnold shook his head. "Just because we don't have money doesn't meant you should feel obligated to give us some."

"Doi, you idiot! We need that money!"

"Come on Arnold, take it. I don't feel obligated, I want to." Orivia assured him. "Take it, you two. You might just need it."

Before he could politely refuse again, Helga just snatched the money from her hand, counting it out and studying what kind of paper bills they were, maybe to get an indication of what country they were in and what the currency was like. She couldn't read the Japanese markings, but luckily there were numbers on the bills.

"Well...okay, you sure talked her into it." Arnold said sheepishly. "That was really sweet of you, though. Thank you very much!"

"Aww, no problem, cutie!" Orivia said sweetly, and ruffled his hair affectionately, giggling as the younger boy seemed to swoon.

Helga growled jealously, her hands clutching at the bills a little too tightly, which thankfully no one noticed. Naruto did, though, and he raised a brow, perplexed at her reaction. To busy herself, Helga counted out the bills, surprised to see that some of them had 5, others hand 10, 20, and then a few had 100! Whatever the currency was around here, they had a lot! There was enough to buy enough books for volumes of future poetry to last the entire year, if not longer!

Doing some quick math, she split the money total in half, stuffing one wad into Arnold's pocket, and stuffing the other hand into her pocket.

"Well...yeah, thanks, and stuff." She said nervously.

"You're very welcome, kiddo." Orivia smiled and patted Helga on the head.

"Hey! Don't touch me!" Helga backed away, and everyone laughed.

"Well now that that's done, let's move onward!" Naruto once again dramatically gestured straight ahead. "Straight to the gates!"

"Lead the way, Naruto." Orivia smiled.

"Don't mind if I do!" Naruto saluted them all and marched on ahead like he was some kind of a soldier.

"What a dork." Helga muttered under her breath, despite that she was pretty amused.

--

Within the next ten minutes or so, they all came to the village gates, which were actually wide open as ninjas left and entered the village to or from missions. It was something surprising, seeing such tall gates with huge doors, kind of like out of a fairy tale or some kind of fantasy story. Naruto explained that it was partly because all the Great Shinobi Countries were secretive, and took some measures to close off their villages from the outside world beyond.

The hour of twilight had been slowly setting in, casting the village in its beautiful orange-yellow glow.

"Well, here we are, kids." Orivia announced, as if they needed to know. "You can wait here for your parents, then. Are you sure you don't need anyone to wait here with you? It's getting dark out now."

"Nah, we'll be fine." Said Helga. "Trust me Princess, Arnold and I are a lot more independent than you might think."

Naruto gave a slow nod in understanding before he spoke up. "Well, then I guess it's goodbye for now. It was sure nice meeting you kids."

"It was nice meeting you all, too. So, really, thanks very much for all of your help. Is there anything we can do for you?" Arnold asked them.

They all shook their heads.

"No, not at all." Orivia said sweetly. "We wanted to help you, to make things easier for you two. I can imagine you may not be having an easy time now, huh?"

"You have no idea." Helga murmured, though she wasn't just talking about their current funk.

"Sis is right, we were glad to help!" Naruto grinned at them both.

Kiba nodded in agreement. "Sure we didn't do much, but it was sure cool to meet a couple of interesting kids like you. So we won't keep you any longer. Good luck!"

"Goodbye...Arnold...Helga...I wish you both...the very best...from now on..." Hinata told them, and bowed in respect.

"Good luck, you two." Shino simply said.

"Will we ever see you again?" Orivia asked hopefully.

Arnold and Helga both exchanged glances, unsure of how to answer that. They didn't want to be mean, but they also didn't want to give false hope or lie. Despite all this, they did pertain the idea of coming back again one day.

"Oh, probably." Helga said, recalling the exact same thing she'd said to Arnold that one Valentine's Day. "You never know what might happen in the future. Maybe someday we'll come back."

"Helga's right. You never know what could happen." Arnold agreed. He took Orivia's hand and kissed it. "Thanks for everything, Princess Orivia."

Orivia giggled. "Just call me Orivia, no need for formalities."

"Right, sorry." Arnold blushed, and then shook Naruto's hand. "Thanks again to you also, Naruto."

"Hey, anytime, Arnold! I'm always glad to help people out!" Naruto smiled big at him. "You keep care of Helga, you hear? It's a man's job to protect the ladies!"

"I can take care of myself, thanks!" Helga scowled. "I don't need the stupid little football head to look after me!"

Arnold just smiled knowingly. "Whatever you say, Helga."

They all shared a laugh at this.

"Well, we'll get out of your hair now. It was so nice meeting you both. Tell your parents we said hi, and, well, good luck. Goodbye for now." Orivia said, turning away from them. "C'mon guys, let's go."

"See you, kids! Bye for now!" Naruto waved at them as the ninjas walked off back into the village.

"Goodbye! Thanks again!" Arnold called after them, waving too. Once they were out of sight and earshot, he turned to Helga. "C'mon Helga, we'd better leave."

Helga gave a nod. "Right. ...But one problem." She pointed toward two guards stationed in a booth near the gates. "Those guys are gonna see us leaving the village all alone, without parents! If they see us live, they'll probably alert Naruto and the others or worse, the Hokage!"

"Huh, you're right." Arnold realized, biting his lip. "...We'll have to distract them somehow. ...Follow my lead, I have an idea."

She leaned close to him and he whispered something into her ear, which made her swoon a little inside.

--

With the plan in motion, Helga approached the guards by the gate, about ten minutes after Arnold had told her his plan. It would be risky, but hopefully, it would carry through just fine so that they could get out of here safely without causing a stir.

"Excuse me, sirs." Helga said casually as she stepped up to them.

"Good evening, young lady." One of the guards said with a nod. "Is there something we can do for you?"

"Actually, I have a question I'd like to ask you both."

"Of course, shoot."

Helga gave a fake innocent smile. "Where do babies come from?"

Both guards balked at her question, surprised.

"W-What?!" The dark-haired one exclaimed.

"W-Why?" The redhead asked nervously.

"Well, doi, I want to know!" Helga said, rolling her eyes. "So now if you would be so kindly as to answer my question, before I notify my parents about your lack of compassion to a child like me!"

The two guards exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what to make of the current situation, with a strange child they'd never seen before, coming to ask THEM a very very tough question to answer, and yet, were baffled at how articulate she seemed to be, yet didn't know about where children came from.

"Y-Young lady...I do see your enthusiasm to learn such a thing, but um, should that perhaps be a question you could ask your parents instead?"

"Yeah, um...th-that's something you should talk to your parents about! Yeah!"

Helga snorted, and kept on going as she received a signal. "Right, sure. Like I'm gonna do that! My parents, well, they wouldn't answer that question if I held a gun to their heads!"

"...A gun?" The redhaired guard questioned.

"What do you mean by that?" The other asked, also confused.

"Well you see gentlemen, a gun is a weapon. A weapon that you use to shoot bullets with, doi."

Before the guards could say anything else, they froze in place where they sat, and then slumped over across the counter, knocked out. Arnold stepped out from behind them, making sure no one was around to see that.

With the coast clear, he grabbed Helga's wrist.

"C'mon Helga, we better get out of here right now. Hopefully they won't trace this back to us." He said.

Helga nodded and didn't even protest as he pulled her away and they headed out beyond the village gates. Their plan had been for Helga to distract them with random, idle chatter, hopefully able to let their guard down enough to know that Arnold wouldn't be detected as he would sneak up on them, and karate chop them in the neck so that he could knock them out. It wasn't the right kind of plan, but, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Now they left Konoha, and were setting out into the world beyond. And so it began, the most epic journey of their lives.


	5. Road to nowhere

Beyond the gates of Konoha, was a long pathway, with surrounding forests on either side of the path. Where it went, how long it was, what was beyond here, neither of them knew at all. The hour of twilight was slowly descending in, just on the verge of surrounding the world in its light and shadow. Signaling the end of the day. It was of course, quite worrisome. Now that they didn't know what to do, and were certain they wouldn't find shelter for a while. It was beginning to get to the point where they almost turned back and went to Konoha.

But they pressed on. They had wanted to get out of there without suspicion, and now they had. For what seemed like hours, even if it had been only about twenty minutes or so, they walked and walked, barely speaking a word to each other, just getting on their way to get out of there. Now was the time to find their way home, even if it would take them all night.

Still, how would they even get there? That was a question still hanging in the air. As well as where they were, how they got here, everything. All of the mystery and uncertainty was killing them. But they knew they had to keep strong, no matter what.

Arnold cast a glance over at Helga, and gave a breath, deciding to say something for the sake of conversation. "I bet everyone back home is wondering where we are and getting worried."

"Feh, as if." Helga muttered. "Only tall-hair boy saw us disappear, and goodness knows no one will believe him if he tells anyone. Seriously, I mean really, you go to an adult, or even another kid, and say 'I just saw my friends disappear in a flash of light from an amulet!', and of course they won't believe you! I don't even know why every children's horror story makes that flaw. ...Besides, if anyone is going to be worried, it'll be over you. No one will care that I'm gone. Heck, I bet Bob and Miriam didn't even notice that I wasn't at home since this morning."

Frowning, Arnold looked back at her. "Helga...that's not true. No one would not care that you're missing. And I'm sure your parents probably know by now. It's almost dark, and I'm assuming it's the same time back home as it is here...I don't know."

Helga rolled his eyes. "Don't even try, football head. No one cares about me."

They walked in silence for a few moments, before Arnold then spoke with no hesitation in his voice.

"I care."

The pigtailed girl looked at him with surprise. Deep down, she swooned and fought off the urge to hug him, glad to know that her beloved did care. Then again, he was Arnold. Sure, he'd care about pretty much everyone, but to know that even she, who had treated him like dirt 95% of the time, was still cared about by him.

_Oh Arnold, my little angel! You're so sweet to say that..._

"...No, no. You're just saying that."

Arnold shook his head and stopped walking, taking her hand and looking her in the eye.

"I mean it, Helga." He said, his voice was firm, but gentle. "I've always cared about you. Don't ever doubt that."

Helga's heart skipped a beat, not just from his sweet words, but the fact that he was holding her hand. She looked into his eyes, and saw no deception of any kind. He was telling the truth, it was all there in his gorgeous, gentle, gleaming green eyes. He did care about her, more than she could have expected him to.

Normally she would push him away by now, but given their current funk, and the fact he was here for her during it all, by her side, and only him, she just didn't have the strength to push him aside. They were alone in this, they needed each other. More than she was caring to outwardly admit.

She gave a small smile, and pulled her hand away. "...Thanks, Arnold. That really means a lot, I-I guess."

Arnold smiled, and patted her on the shoulder comfortingly before they continued to walk on. He could guess that him saying that to her was a dream come true for her.

"We'll be fine, Helga." He assured her, knowing she too was tense about their situation. "Come on, let's look at these maps and see what we can find."

"Okay." She said in agreement.

They went to the side of the path and sat on the grass. Arnold took the bag he now had, and took out the maps and leaflets from it. One map was pretty much an international, world-wide map, while another was one of the Shinobi countries, a road map version of the aforementioned map, and a few others. Unfortunately, they now ran into a huge problem.

As Arnold studied the maps, and Helga did too, they came to see that they were certainly not going to be making it home any time soon.

"That's impossible. This doesn't look like an atlas as we've seen before during Geography." Arnold said, sounding worried.

"But I don't understand! How is that happening? Look, apparently we were in Konoha, which we see now is the...Fire Country. Then there's a Wind Country, an Earth Country, Water Country, Lightning Country...this makes no sense!" Helga ran her finger along the Shinobi country map, indicating the symbols.

"I know." Arnold agreed, shaking his head. "This doesn't look good, Helga. Wherever we are, I don't think our world exists. Look at the worldwide map, it looks nothing like the continents. In fact, it looks like a whole new world invented by someone."

"We couldn't have gone back in time, because the clashing of the continents happened during the time of the dinosaurs. And besides, that village was way too modern. Funny though, apparently they have radios, kitchen appliances, electricity and televisions, all these were invented throughout the 20th century, and apparently they make movies, too...so if we DID somehow go back in time when in the heck are we?! I haven't seen one single car!"

Arnold frowned at the maps. "I think you're right. We didn't go back in time, it doesn't make sense at all. Especially since apparently they don't seem to have cars around here, and yet they have other things that were invented over the years. I think I was right the first time, we're not in our world. We're in a different place altogether, like in those fantasy stories or something."

"But how?! That's all in books and movies!" Helga exclaimed, tugging at her pigtails with frustration.

"I don't know...it was like magic. Unless...that amulet had something to do with it? That has to be it."

"Either you're going crazy, or you might have a point." Helga muttered, lowering her arms in defeat. "But the amulet locket thing is gone! It disappeared when we found ourselves here!" She paused a minute. "Wait. I've read some books about this kind of thing...about crossing parallel dimensions. _The Time Machine_ by H.G. Wells talks a lot about how time travel also involves changing around dimensions, and fourth dimensionally involves time itself. So, Arnold...I think we might be in a different _dimension_! A parallel world just like ours, only it's different and even, heck, out of whack!"

"As crazy as that sounds, I think that might be the only logical explanation." Arnold agreed, sitting on the grass more comfortably. "I wanted to believe we were just going crazy or having some kind of a dream...but I think that's not even plausible by now."

"Great. So now I'm stuck in a whole new dimension with YOU! Lovely." Helga groaned, sitting back on the grass too.

The football-headed boy gave a sigh. "I know it's not easy, Helga...but we have to stick together in this. We'll have to find a way to get out of this dimension and get back home somehow, and we'll need to stand together in this. ...You're not alone, Helga." He looked at her seriously. "I'm right here with you, and I always will be."

Helga blushed a little, and gave a faint smile. "....I guess you're right, football head. We really only have each other to rely on. Whatever...I guess we may as well do our best to find a way home and make the most of what we can out of this situation."

Arnold smiled too and nodded. "Right. We'll get through this. One day at a time."

Silence befell the two kids for a while, as the hour of twilight descended, casting its orange-yellow glows upon the landscape. Birds still chirped in the trees, and the sounds of the breeze was calm and soothing through the whispers of the trees.

"...You know, I almost thought were in Ireland or something." Helga said. "Given that Orivia's accent. But then ol' Naruto comes along and then I'm confused."

Arnold snickered. "I liked her accent, it was a unique charm."

"Yeah, sure." Helga waved it off, deciding NOT to press on the fact he made googly eyes at the pretty teen. "I gotta say, it was so weird to meet ninjas. They seemed so...I don't know, normal."

"I guess they were off duty, that's why they wandered freely around their village." Arnold said with a shrug.

"No kidding! That Naruto...he wore bright orange! Orange! Could he be any more loud and obvious?" Helga laughed. "Enemies will spot him in a matter of seconds! Ha! ...Well, whatever, I digress. He's kind of cool, ya know. Reminds me of you in some ways. ...Without the loud exuberance and dreams of becoming a political leader. He does inspire people, so I've heard. I don't know, there's something about him I can't put my finger on. Real interesting character, and I don't say that very often!"

"I agree. He's interesting, I'm pretty curious about his life and what he does."

"Oh football head, there you go again, always delving into people's minds."

"Oh come on."

Helga smirked. "Then I guess you noticed that Orivia there likes him? Ya know, like like?"

Arnold paused, thinking that over. "I don't think I noticed, but she does have a tendency to pick on him."

"Silly, it's called good-natured teasing between friends, doi! Come on, she's not bullying him like I bully you or anyone else!" She suddenly realized what she was saying and cleared her throat. "What I mean is, she's being playful, and she obviously cares about him a lot. Unfortunately for her, he seems to like that girl with the pink hair, Sakura. Now she's something! Thought I was looking into a mirror!"

_That's true, Sakura did have a lot of outward aggression and tendency to pound on people...not in a bullying manner, she's just aggressive and puts people in their place. But at the same time, I can see she's a sweet and caring girl. ...I guess she and Helga are kind of alike._

"I guess so, with her aggression and everything. She seems to put people in their place and keep them in line." Arnold agreed, deciding not to press the issue of Helga's real self.

"Got that right. And hey, those other ninjas we saw...WHOA! That Lee dude, what was WITH those EYEBROWS?! I have never seen such bushy eyebrows!"

"Aren't you one to talk, Miss Unibrow?" He couldn't resist teasing.

"Oh shut up!" Helga stuck her tongue out petulantly. Still, she was pretty delighted that he felt so comfortable to playfully tease her. Even if it WAS about her unibrow. Then again, barely anything he said made her angry. At least not at him. "I'm serious! They were so... so...thick!"

"True, they were. He had an interesting haircut, too. Kind of like the Beatles had. And whoa, 750 laps around the village?" Arnold looked at an airial view map of the village. "He must train really hard."

"Must be a hard worker." Helga shrugged. "Hey! You saw that Hinata and Neji, wow, I've never seen eyes like that! Whoa! It's like they had no real eyes!"

"Come on, that's just how they were born."

"Still! And here I thought Orivia's eyes were weird, and Shippo's too."

"I thought they were really pretty. And Shippo's eyes were like candy. I have to admit too, Kiba's dog...Akamaru I think it was, wow, a big dog."

"No kidding! It's like he was on doggie steroids!"

Arnold frowned. "What are steroids?"

"Some drug I read about that some athletes take in order to enhance their muscles and agility when competing, most especially in running sports like track and marathons. Please, if an athlete can't win on his own power, then they don't deserve to win while on steroids."

"Oh. Wow. Good point Helga, I agree. That's really not fair to the other athletes who actually work hard and give it their very best." He shook his head sadly.

Helga inwardly swooned at how he agreed with her, but kept her composure. "Well, thanks, I guess. ...Anyway, come on, let's see if we can find some berries to eat or whatever, I'm starving."

"Good idea." Arnold stood up and helped her up also, making her blush, he noticed. "You know, this kind of reminds me of back when me, you, Gerald and Phoebe were-"

"That's Gerald, Phoebe, you and I, bucko." Helga corrected him.

Arnold blinked, not quite sure why she just corrected him out of the blue like that. Sure, she was right and all, but it seemed pretty funny. "Oh, right. And your dad too, the way we got a little lost while we were camping."

Helga paused, remembering that for a moment, and gave half a smile. "Yeah, I guess it does kind of remind me of it, too." One of the things she remembered most was when her and Arnold's marshmallows had gotten stuck together while they were all roasting them over a fire with Arnold's Grandpa. "So I guess we'll have to try to remember what kind berries are...hey! Wait a second! What if there's some kind of different vegetation in this world?!"

"I don't think so, Helga." Arnold said. "I saw some different kinds of trees that we see back home. You know, oak trees, birch trees, you get the point. I don't think their vegetation is much different from ours. Hey! Look! A berry bush! Red and sweet means they're good to eat."

He went over to it, and took one of the bright red berries, popping it into his mouth and chewing it. Sure enough, it was sweet. Motioning to Helga, she came and joined him, eating some of the berries too. The sweet berries were just delicious, they couldn't help but eat more and more.

"Look!" Helga pointed further into the forest at a few, low-level trees. "Apple trees!"

"Um, Helga? I think those might be crab apples..." Arnold said with uncertainty.

"Oh relax, football head, some of them are probably ripe! ...It IS apple season, right?" Helga's voice was now also laced with uncertainty.

Arnold shrugged, unsure himself.

"Oh well!" Helga sauntered into the forest. "Only one way to find out! Stay here, buddy boy, I'll be back."

Still eating some berries, Arnold watched after her for a moment, shaking his head as an amused smile crossed his face. She was adventurous, for sure. He was also, though not as exuberant about it as she was. Maybe this wouldn't all be so bad. Maybe they could make the best of it, see it as an interesting adventure on how to get home, to survive in a whole new atmosphere, find resources, earn money... Yeah, this might just work out.

He watched as Helga went over to one of the apple trees further ahead into the forest, probably about 40 yards away, and studied the apples hanging from the branches. She placed a hand on her hip, then her other hand rubbed against her chin thoughtfully, carefully studying the apples one by one. Then she reached up to try to pluck one. Apparently it was too high for her, since she kept trying and trying, stretching her thin body up as far as it could go. She stood on tiptoe, and still nothing. She even tried to jump up and down for it, and still nothing. She heaved her shoulders in frustration and kicked a rock on the ground, appearing to be grumbling to herself. Arnold didn't like to laugh at other people's misfortune, but he did get a little amused by her efforts.

Helga then crossed over a few feet near the trunk of the tree and looked up at some more apples. One of them was hanging close to her, so she lifted her hand and plucked it effortlessly from the branch. She stared at the apple, then wiped it off on her dress, and then took a bite. She chewed, her face thoughtful as she did so. Then she frowned, and tossed it over her shoulder, clearly indicating it was not so good. Arnold smiled a little more as he watched Helga now studying the apples before picking another one. He had to admit, the little things she did were pretty cute.

Wait, cute?

Arnold sighed to himself, eating more berries. This was not going to be easy, that was for sure. All this alone time with Helga was definitely affecting his rather... romantic intuitions. Hey, he was alone in the middle of nowhere with a girl, a girl he did like to an extent. She may not have been the prettiest girl in the world, but admittedly, to him, she was pretty in her own way. Whatever it was, it was her, and he liked that. Especially how "natural" she was, and was just herself in how she looked.

Another sigh escaped him as he stared at the bush to distract his sight. How was this going to turn out? Especially since she was in love with him.

"Hey football head!" Helga said as she came walking back to him, tossing a ripe apple to him. "Took me a while, but I got us some apples!"

He looked down and saw that she was carrying some apples in her dress as she held up the hem to house the fruits. Clever girl.

"That's great, Helga." Arnold smiled, and bit into the apple she'd given him. It had already been bitten on one side, obviously tested by her to make sure it was ripe, but he didn't care. It was understandable, anyway.

"So, we gotta think of what we're going to do about shelter."

"Shelter?"

"Well, doi! We're in the middle of nowhere, football head!" Helga exclaimed, gesturing to the area around them before crossing her arms. "We need SOME kind of protection! Who knows what the weather will be like around here! If it rains, we'll be in even MORE of a funk, since we're far from any village and not to mention not having a change of clothes."

Arnold blushed upon realizing that, and gave a nod. "Well...um, one of the closest villages from here is one called Norashima, it's about...I'd say 20 miles walking distance from where we are now. We can either go now and make a few miles before dark, or we can stay here and get an early start in the morning." He knelt back down on the ground and took out one of the maps, laying it out on the ground. It was a road map. "See, we're around here, right? And Norashima is here, so it could take a few hours on foot. We have money, at least, so we'll be able to set ourselves up when we get there."

"Huh." Helga said thoughtfully, studying the map too. "I guess we can do that. And hey, I don't know about you, but it's been WAY too long a day. Let's stop here tonight, we'll go to this village tomorrow. And since we're sticking together, we're staying here. Ha!" She smirked, leaning back and eating her apple.

"Whatever you say, Helga." Arnold said, putting the map away. "I think we should stop here tonight, anyway. I'm pretty tired." He took the bag off and set it beside him, sitting on the grass.

"Glad we're on the same page for a change. And you sleep on your own side, and keep your hands to yourself! If you even so much as THINK about touching me while I'm asleep, I'll kill you and use your intestines as my new jump rope!"

Arnold shuddered hard, remembering a rather grotesque and gory scene from the latest _Evil Twin_ movie he and Gerald saw last weekend. "R-Right...I'll do that, Helga."

"You better." Helga warned, and lay down on the grass, setting the apples in the backpack with the other maps, along with some more berries. "By the way, we'll have to bring some berries and apples with us for tomorrow."

"Right, that too." Arnold placed the backpack between them to act as a barrier between them. They were under a shady tree, so it would act somewhat as protection in case it rained. "...Helga?"

"What?"

"Will you be all right?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You know, about all this. I know it's...well, pretty scary, with everything and all the mystery and all. But listen, if you're scared at all, I..." He blushed a little at this, considering his words. "...I'm here for you, okay? I'll protect you if you ever need it."

Helga glanced at him, her eyes wide and her cheeks now a lovely shade of pink. Even right now, despite how she treated him, he was still kind and sweet to her, and offering to pretty much protect her in all of this. She inwardly swooned and fought off the urge to snuggle into him in thanks. She dared not do that.

"...Well, thanks, I guess." She muttered tonelessly.

Arnold smiled at her lightly and looked back up at the twilight sky peeking in between the leaves and branches of the tree above them. It was getting darker and darker, no doubt nightfall was minutes away.

Slowly his eyelids closed as he let sleep overtake him. Within moments, Helga did as well.


	6. Meanwhile in Hillwood

**Now we'll take a look back in good ol' Hillwood to see what's happening. Poor Gerald! The last time we saw him, he was terrified at having seeing his best friend and Helga disappear! Oh my GOD!**

**But doesn't that suck to be in his shoes like that? Oh, I've read/seen enough children's horror/fantasy/supernatural stories to know that it ALWAYS sucks being a kid, and seeing this really strange occurrence. Of course, they always get it in their minds to tell their parents. But we all know that just backfires EVERY time. You know, James (I'm referring to the Angry Video Game Nerd) said a very good point about this on one of his movie reviews. I'll have to remember what it was...**

**Well poor Gerald, I'd hate to be in his shoes!**

**Anyway, let's move on. We MAY come back here to see what's going on, but most if not all the story will take place in the Naruto world.**

**--**

Gerald gave a sigh as he taped another "Missing" poster onto a lamp post. He used yearbook photos of Arnold and Helga to use, and made several posters, and gave some to his friends to hang around the city. He had of course, tried telling his parents what had really happened, but of course, they didn't believe him. He didn't even have the strange amulet to prove it. It was gone too, along with Arnold and Helga.

His gut wrenched, and any source of his usual enthusiasm and brightness had just faded away now. His best friend was gone, gone with no trace, gone with no idea what happened, gone with no idea where he was. Helga may not have been his favourite person, but he didn't wish anything bad like this on her. All he hoped was that they were okay, and that he or someone would find them, and get some answers to this whole mess.

Worried and scared, Gerald didn't know what else to do. The truth of what happened, what he had seen with his own eyes, was not a good alibi. No one, not even his friends, believed him. It was to be expected, wasn't it? Still, he wish he could do something about it, but he was new to this kind of thing. If they had gotten lost or something, at least there would be a reasonable explanation. But no. He was plagued by this very crazy reality he couldn't explain. It was insane. This kind of thing only happened in fictional stories.

But this was real life. And Gerald knew what he saw. It was no trick. What happened was real. He knew he wasn't dreaming. He knew he wasn't crazy. He knew he wasn't imagining it.

Arnold and Helga disappeared thanks to a strange amulet. That's all there was to it, no matter how much it begged to differ. If only, oh if only it weren't so crazy. If only he knew of a way to get them back.

"Man Arnold....I don't know where you guys are..." Gerald sighed. "Listen Arnold, wherever you are...if Helga hits you, get into a ball and stay in a ball." He gave a hollow laugh. "...Yeah right, like that girl will have the strength to do that. Probably freaked out of her wits and jumpin' into your arms..."

"Gerald?" A soft, quiet voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Huh?" Gerald blinked, turning around to meet the one who had brought him back to reality. "Oh, hey Phoebe." He smiled a bit, feeling a little bit better now seeing the girl he had such a crush on.

Phoebe offered a sad smile and came over to him, holding a few of the Missing posters he made. "I heard from Lila and Stinky about what you were doing. I-I was worried about you, Gerald...why didn't you tell me?"

The African-American boy gave a sigh, looking away from her at the setting sun. "'Cause I knew you wouldn't believe me, babe. And I didn't want to worry you so much."

"Oh....Gerald, I wish you had, I'm worried about them." She said, and held his hand in comfort. "...You know what happened, didn't you? What really happened? Will you tell me?"

His heart warmed up by her soft, comforting touch, and he squeezed her hand back, another sigh escaping him. He'd been doing that a lot today. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Pheebs."

"Gerald..." Phoebe said gently. "Please, tell me. Tell me what happened."

Looking at Phoebe, her small, brown eyes were looking back into his own with pleading sweetness, that he now knew he just couldn't say no. She had such a way of being so much adorably cuter than she already was, and could convince you to do anything. He couldn't hide it from her, he had to tell her the truth. Even if it was a crazy story she wouldn't believe.

"Let's go back to my place." Gerald offered. "I'll tell you about it there. ...My dad should be back soon after he and some other officers search around the city."

Phoebe smiled and nodded. "All right, Gerald. That sounds good."

Managing a smile, he held Phoebe's hand in his own and they headed off to his house in silence as the night was closing in within the fading twilight.

--

"O-Okay...but please, please let us know if you find anything. Okay, thank you."

Miles hung up the phone and turned to his wife, shaking his head sadly. Stella let out a choked breath and fought back tears as they returned to the kitchen to sit down and have some coffee.

"Nothing yet, huh?" Phil inquired, clutching his coffee mug with worry.

"Nothing, Dad." Miles sighed, handing Stella her mug as he sat back down. "There's no sign of Arnold or Helga anywhere."

"The Patakis don't know either." Stella said, and frowned a little at how she remembered how unaffected Big Bob seemed to be about the whole situation, and thinking it was his older daughter Olga who was missing.

"No surprise there." Miles muttered in agreement, remembering an encounter that occurred in the park about 8 years ago. "Well...the police are doing all they can, and Arnold's friends are hanging up missing posters around the neighbourhood, so hopefully someone will find them."

"I hope they're all right..." Stella murmured, wiping a tear that threatened to fall. "I can't believe we came home only to find Arnold missing..."

"It's a tough, tough world Stella..." Phil said, patting her hand. He looked up to see Gertie dressed up in a ninja outfit, a utility belt included. "Pookie, what are you doing?"

"Hush now! Kimba and dear Eleanor have been taken by Fujimoto and his minions! I'll get 'em back, just need to infiltrate their hideout and pretend I'm one of them!" Gertie declared, waving nun chucks and making ninja-like screeches. "Sensei has taught me well, but now the pupil must surpass the teacher!"

"Pookie, this is serious! Arnold is missing, and so is his little friend with the one eyebrow...Helen, was it?"

"Helga, Dad." Miles corrected him. Despite it all, he gave a small smile. "...The little lady who helped rescue us."

Stella smiled and nodded in agreement, going back to drinking her coffee, staring hard at the portable phone sitting on the table in front of the three adults.

--

"Wait wait wait, Olga, you're saying you're NOT missing?"

"No no, daddy! Why do you think that-....oh NO! Daddy, did you just...oh no! Helga! Baby sister! She must be the one missing! I-I just saw this on the news now! Oh no! Daddy, hold on, I will be on the next flight to Hillwood!" Olga cried on the other line. "I want to be there for when baby sister is found! Oh, don't worry, I will get Mr. Harrison to replace me! I'll be home soon, daddy! Tell mummy and please please hang in there, Helga will be found!"

Bob blinked at this, all of Olga's words were running through his head, most specifically about her coming home. "I-I, okay, Olga! We'll see you tomorrow!"

"Hang in there, daddy!" Olga said, and hung up the phone.

He did the same, and returned to the living room and turning on the News.

"_Local police have not yet found the two missing children Helga Geraldine Pataki and Arnold-_"

"WHAT?! Helga's lost with that orphan boy?! Miriam, get your coat, we're goin' out for a while!"

"H-Huh? What was that, B?"

This was going to be a very, very long night.

--

"And then...after the light cleared, I don't know how, but I swear Phoebe, I ain't lying...Arnold and Helga were gone. And so was the amulet. I-I don't know how it happened, but after that amulet opened, and the bright light came and cleared, th-they were gone!" Gerald recounted the story to Phoebe, all the while trembling a little but trying to keep his cool, and she'd held his hand the entire time.

They were in his bedroom, the door shut, where he had taken her to tell the story without Timberly or his mom hearing them.

Gerald studied Phoebe for a moment, and could see that she was shocked, confused, and above all, sympathetic. She didn't interrupt as he told her the story, and listened to him thoroughly. She squeezed his hand the whole time, letting him know that she was there, and she was listening.

Yes, the story was absolutely crazy, and it made no sense. Sure, Gerald never minded pulling a good-natured prank on a classmate or friend, was an expert at telling what was sometimes bogus urban legends (the backstories had been true, however), but at the same time, he was a good kid and she knew that he would never, ever lie about something so serious like this. If he truly didn't know what had happened to Arnold and Helga, he would have said so. She watched him the entire time, and could see no traces of deception in his eyes. Just fear, uncertainty, confusion, worry, shock, and more fear.

He had to be telling the truth. There was no way Gerald was lying. The story was absolutely far fetched, and Phoebe, being a very smart girl, would know better. But she knew Gerald better, too. She knew he wouldn't lie, not like this. No. She was not turning her back on him. He needed support, with his best friend missing and having gone in such a strange way, and she too, needed support since her best friend was with HIS best friend and had disappeared the same way.

Both their best friends were in trouble, and he was the only one who knew what had truly happened to them. No one else believed him, she could see. No wonder. And yet, she knew it was true. They could worry, and even, solve the problem, together.

"Gerald... I can understand why you didn't want to tell me. You were scared I wouldn't believe you, given the nature and occurrence of the situation that happened to Arnold and Helga." Phoebe said gently. "You told everyone else and they didn't believe you. I see why. ...But..."

She looked him straight in the eye.

"...I believe you."

Gerald blinked back tears, looking with genuine gratitude and surprise at the Japanese girl. "You....you mean it?"

Phoebe smiled at him sadly and nodded. "I do believe you, Gerald. You...you need help and support right now, don't you? Well, I do too. And I know you would never lie about this kind of thing, and I know..." She blushed a little. "That you would never lie to me, either. Everything about you tells me that you are telling the truth. It's okay, Gerald...I'm here for you." She took his other hand and smiled a little more. "I care about you, I always have. ...And I'm worried about them, too. Helga is my best friend, and Arnold is my friend, too. While it is a scary situation, and I fear for both of them...I...I am so glad she is with Arnold. I know she'll be safe now, even just a little, knowing she's with him. That makes me feel better. I-I know you and Helga don't get along, and even with her rough exterior, I assure you she could never hurt Arnold. Never. Don't worry about him, he is fine with her, too."

For the first time that day since the strange incident, Gerald found himself smiling lovingly at Phoebe, and hugged her tightly. For a moment he thought she was just saying she believed him because she felt sorry for him, and while that was well and good with her heart in the right place, but no, she knew, and he could see it in her eyes, that she truly believed him and knew he wasn't lying. It warmed his heart so much, and he needed that, truly needed that. And it was especially sweeter coming from Phoebe.

"Thanks a ton, Phoebe." Gerald managed, and pulled away to smile at her, his hands on her shoulders. "That means a lot to me, I'm glad someone FINALLY believes me. I swear I was tellin' the truth."

Phoebe smiled more, and then on an impulse, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes widened and his cheeks turned bright red, but he smiled crookedly and looked at her with lovesick eyes. She giggled, delighted.

"You're welcome, Gerald. I know you would never lie to me, especially at a time like this."

The soft, luminous glow of the moonlight filtered into the room, already lit by the overhead light, as the two of them sat there in silence, both wondering how they were going to go about all of this, and of course, how they could try to solve this and save their best friends.

--

**XD Yep. At the last minute of writing this, I decided to include Miles and Stella. They were rescued! ...And yes, like in my other fic "Arnold's Leg", Helga helped in rescuing them after finding Miles' journal one time when Arnold lost it in school...don't worry, all of this will be explained later on. :3 **

**But yeah, they were going to surprise Arnold, who didn't know since they only returned on this day while he was gone, but he never came home!**

**Sorry that this chapter is so short. DX Do forgive me for the short chapters! Hopefully along the way they'll be longer. :D **


	7. The Amazing New World Adventure

**Just a little warning....child nudity! Watch out!**

**XD Don't worry, nothing further. Just an accident.**

**Ohhh, and Helga's gonna make a lot of movie/TV/Book and other references throughout the story. XD Because that's fun. :D**

**--**

The soft sounds of nature came to her ears. Birds singing, the breeze blew gently within the trees, everything seemed to come to life as the sun was rising higher and higher in the sky, the signal of a new day. The entire area, untouched by human hands for now, was quiet and peaceful, only the sounds of nature within hearing range could be heard.

But it wasn't just all of this that made Helga awaken in the best way possible.

She was lying on something soft, and yet solid, and something was enveloped around her...two limbs, it seemed. She felt so warm, so safe, so...so complete. But why? What was going on? Why was she outside? For a moment, she forgot what was happening. But of course, as she tried to open her eyes, with her lids feeling as if they weighed a thousand pounds, she slowly began to remember. She and Arnold were trapped in a different dimension, a different world, most likely thanks to a strange amulet locket thingamajig. They had been in a village known as Konoha, in the "Fire Country" as it was called, and had met a few of the local ninjas, making friendly with them...they ate ramen with them, chatted with them, and met a Princess...who had generously offered them some money of this world's currency.

Now they were here, in the middle of nowhere, on their way to one of the nearby villages, which they were set to traverse to today. That was their plan, to try to get a comfortable place to stay, enough food to eat, supplies, and earn enough money to support themselves enough until they found a way home.

But the question still remained. How would they find their way home?

Helga finally opened her eyes, letting out a yawn, and found herself unable to move. Confused, she focused, and then, saw why.

She was in Arnold's arms. Somehow, over the course of the night, she had ended up on top of him, her head snuggled into the crook of his neck, her arms around him. He was holding her close as well, probably out of instinct or response to her. But how did this happen?

Little did she remember, or rather, had assumed was a dream, she had woken up in the middle of the night.

~Flashback~

_An owl hooted overhead in the trees, the noises of the night now woke Helga up. For a moment, she had no idea where she was, and she jumped where she lay, now yelping and screaming, looking around frantically in fright. She didn't even notice or register that Arnold was asleep a few feet away from her, his bag from earlier separating the two._

_Her screaming and panicked noises alerted Arnold, who awoke just as quick and sudden as she did, though he was quieter. He too had a fleeting moment of forgetting where he was, but instantly remembered, most especially upon seeing Helga. And she looked scared, the way she was trembling hard and yelping as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. Instantly, Arnold went to her, concerned and confused, wondering why she seemed to be so afraid._

"_Helga, Helga...calm down, it's okay."_

_For a moment she tensed, and then looked at him with surprised eyes before instantly she relaxed. Either it was the fatigue, or the fright, or the uncertainty, or the fact it was just Arnold in general, or all of the above, but whatever it was, she threw herself at him, arms around him tightly. She clutched him like a terrified child seeking comfort. Arnold was surprised at her sudden gesture, but of course made no attempt to push her away. He couldn't turn away from someone in need, not even Helga. Immediately, he hugged her back and rubbed her back, keeping her close as he whispered to her soothingly. She was sobbing, softly, but she was calmer, despite her trembling._

"_A-Arnold..." Helga uttered between sobs, clutching to him tightly, her face buried in his neck. "I want to go home...I'm so scared...!"_

"_Shh, shh, Helga...it's okay...shh...you're all right now. You're with me now." Arnold whispered softly. "Calm down, it's okay... I understand you're scared. Trust me, I'm scared too. But we'll be fine, we're going to be fine, Helga... I won't let anything happen to you. Not if I can help it."_

_A sniffle came from her, and she managed to raise her head a bit to look at him. "Arnold, I... I....thanks... I'm sorry...I'm sorry...this is all my fault..."_

_Shaking his head, Arnold looked her in the eye, and though tired, spoke as firmly and kindly as he could. "Helga, don't ever think that. Don't blame yourself for this, you are not at fault. Even you didn't know that the amulet had strange powers or anything. I don't blame you for this, and I know you aren't at fault. Don't cry, Helga...it's okay, we'll be okay. I'm here for you, as I said I would be. I promise you, Helga. And I never break my promises."_

"_....Arnold....oh, Arnold...you're such a gem." Helga sniffled, and hugged him again. She was way too tired, scared and yet way too happy to know what was going on. "Thank you..."_

_Arnold blushed a little bit, but he smiled a little and hugged her back. "You're welcome, Helga. It's okay, I'll look after you. Look, I'll hold you until you fall asleep, okay?"_

"_O-Okay..."_

_They lay back on the grass, and Helga snuggled on top of Arnold, which also made him blush, but frankly, he didn't care. She needed this, a lot more than she was caring to admit. He would comply, and he had no problem doing so. He hated seeing Helga so scared, so sad, so vulnerable. He wanted to protect her, to make her feel safe._

_And he would. He knew he would protect her with his life._

"_You're safe now, Helga. It's okay. You can sleep now." Arnold whispered to her._

_Helga let out a soft sigh and nodded, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "Oh, Arnold...I love you..." She murmured in absolute honesty, having no idea what she was saying, as sleep began to overtake her._

_His eyes popped open as she spoke out her little confession, and it was at that moment he remembered the fact that she loved him. Of course. The FTi incident had of course been the living proof that Helga G. Pataki was in love with him. Though they had the silent agreement of "the confession never happened" going on between them, Arnold knew better. He knew she wasn't lying. The entire situation itself, all the things she had done for him, the look in her eyes, the tone of her voice, her passion, her kiss, everything. While the confession in itself WAS technically the heat of the moment, he knew she meant it._

_Not making a sound, he just continued to hold Helga close, his eyes slowly drifting shut as he too began to fall back asleep. He would think about this later on._

End of flashback~

Whatever had happened, she didn't want it to end! It was a dream come true, sleeping and then waking up in Arnold's arms. Despite the situation, she really just didn't care. He was asleep, anyway, and probably didn't even know what was happening. She decided to just let herself enjoy the pure bliss a little longer.

_This is wrong, so wrong, I have to let go and get off! But I'm in Heaven, Arnold's arms...ohhh Arnold my angel...your wondrous embrace makes me feel warm and safe...how I wish I could be in your arms everyday, my love... How I will forever cherish your hugs, and now this as well..._

Helga gave a soft sigh in bliss, snuggling more into him as she sniffed his scent. Oh how she loved his shampoo! Mixed in with his soft scent, which although was something she couldn't pinpoint exactly, it smelled wonderful, sweet and yet soothing at the same time, she loved it. Whatever it was, it was Arnold.

"Arnold..." She cooed softly, her nose lightly grazing his soft skin. She then rose up a little to look down at her sleeping beloved.

While she had seen him asleep before, she never had much time to appreciate it. But now she could. Helga gave a soft smile and gently caressed his cheek as she watched him sleep. He looked so soft, so peaceful, and very content, with a little smile forming. She wondered what he was dreaming about. Whatever it was, he was sleeping quite peacefully, despite their entire situation.

A rush of emotions came to her, and it was as if she were falling in love with him all over again. Then again, she felt that just about everyday when she would lay eyes on him when she would first see him in the morning either at or on her way to school. Her love for him was just part of her determination and drive to get through the day, no matter how much it sucked. Anyone he met, he definitely inspired, and she was no different. Seeing him, knowing he was going to be there during the day, gave her a reason to be happy, to get up in the morning, to know that no matter how dark and dismal her future may be, there was hope for a bright sunny future she longed for.

It inspired her to reach and believe in her dreams, her dreams to make a better life for herself, to express her creativity, to make the world right, to do great things just like he did now. Arnold was, and always would be, her inspiration. Plain and simple, she loved him. And that explained it all.

More and more she hoped he would reciprocate her feelings, and yet, that just seemed like an impossible dream. Then again, she was curious of what was to come next. He didn't flat out say "I don't like you, not interested" or anything like that. So there was still a chance. Maybe, just maybe...

Helga sighed and shook her head. Why would Arnold, who was such a gem, a Saint, a boy with a golden heart, and such a sweet smile, fall for a mess like her? Exactly. The chances of that were slim. Very slim.

Still, at least she could dream.

She looked down at him again, her hand still on his cheek as it rested there, feeling the warm, soft skin. Once more she knew how lucky she was, despite not outwardly admitting it, that she was here with him. What if, despite their funk, this was just a chance to be alone with him, to get to know him, to connect, and maybe... to bring them together? ...No, that seemed silly. Maybe she could make the best of it.

No way. That was scary to her. And yet, deep down, the part of her willing to come out with all of this, found this to be a good idea.

Her eyes fell onto his lips, and Helga felt herself release the breath she had been holding the past few moments. The last time she'd kissed him was back on the FTI building rooftop, when she had confessed her love to him. She knew, from the moment she kissed him the first time, during the school play, was that she wanted more and more to get a taste of those soft, warm, moist, addicting lips of his. Kissing him those three times, despite two of them being scripted, pretty much just charged every nerve within her body, like she had stuck a fork in a toaster. It made her forget the rest of the world around them, and all she would feel would be the perfect softness of his mouth, and every bit of her dreams seeming to come true. Since kissing him, she always had to fight the urge to do so again when she'd see him, or worse yet, was alone with him.

Right now was one of those times.

_Wait a minute, he's sleeping...he'll never know!_

That thought gave Helga the courage to just give in, and give herself a dose of Arnold's lips. She wanted it so much, no, needed it.

Logic was swept from her mind as she leaned down toward him, her eyes drifting closed, closer and closer, until her lips touched his. Time itself stopped, and nothing else mattered. She parted her lips slightly, allowing his lower lip to fit in between, and once more she relished at how perfectly their lips melded together, like they were meant to touch. Once more, she lost herself in the kiss, and kept on kissing him, she was used to his lips being limp and unresponsive, it didn't matter, she enjoyed them none the less.

She sensed movement and her eyes fluttered open softly to look at him, only to then find widened green eyes staring back at her.

"GYAA!!!!" Helga screamed as she pulled away and practically jumped back a mile. Her eyes were wide, her hands trembled, and her cheeks were bright red. She had just gotten caught kissing him while he slept! Or so she thought! "A-Arnold, um...er...h-how long have you been awake?"

Arnold sat up, his cheeks now a bright shade of pink as well. He had just woken up to Helga kissing him! On the lips! Why did she do that? Well, he knew why, pretty much, but...why? Why now? Had he really been right? She really loved him like she said she did? So many questions were buzzing through his mind, and he wanted to ask them, to get it all out on the table. But looking at her then, she was terrified, guilty, nervous, it was all there in her eyes, and in her trembling. No. She was just acting in the heat of her feelings, and wasn't ready to confront them just yet. He wanted to, it was the right thing for them to do, but he figured to save it for later.

But he couldn't just pretend it never happened! Not like last time.

Still, he sighed, figuring a good solution. At least, for now. It would give them both time.

"....Long enough, Helga." Arnold said softly. "...We don't have to talk about it now. But...maybe later. I think we need to get a lot off our chests."

Helga gulped, knowing that he knew very well what happened, and he wasn't going to just go on with life and pretend it never happened. Not like last time, with the FTI situation. The cat was out of the bag, she couldn't hide or deny any of it now. She just had to deal with the consequences of her actions. Whether she liked it or not.

But no. She wasn't going down without a fight.

"Fine! But don't think you're getting anything out of me that easily, football head! Criminy, just cut it out! It's not what you think!"

A frown came across his face and he stood up. "We'll talk about it, later, Helga. Go ahead and deny it all you want. ...Come on, we have to get going now. We can head for the Norashima village right now and probably make it there maybe around early afternoon or so."

Shaking her head, Helga stood up and dusted herself off, grumbling inaudibly for a moment. "Yeah, fine. I counted out the money that Princess gave us, gave you half and I took half. In total we have 8000 of whatever their currency is."

Arnold's eyes nearly popped out of his head, taken aback by the amount as he picked up the bag with the maps and slung it over his shoulder. "Gosh...that was really generous of her. Well, I guess if we ever see her again, we can find a way to pay her back or something."

"Are you crazy?! We're nine years old! It could take us YEARS to come up with that kind of money! No way, she gave it to us as a gift, doi! But if you, Mr. Do The Right Thing...I don't know, get her a necklace or a book or a bottle of wine or something."

"Whatever you say, Helga. Come on, let's get going."

"Whatever. Just make sure you follow that map correctly, football head. I won't take too well to us getting lost within being lost."

Arnold took the road map out of the bag, studying it as they walked along the path. "Don't worry, we just have to go some miles ahead until we find a left turn in the road, and we take that turn and keep going, then make another left, and then a right..."

"Okay whoa, slow down there!" Helga chided. "One at a time! We'll cross that bridge when we get there, Arnoldo."

Rolling his eyes but nodding, Arnold tucked the map away and then handed her an apple from the bag and took one for himself.

As they walked along, munching on their apples, both silent and not having much to say at the moment while they headed to their destination, Arnold could not get what happened just minutes ago when he woke up out of his mind. Helga had been kissing him. _Kissing him_ while he was _asleep_. That was a bit creepy, and pretty much a bit of harassment, but of course he knew she meant no harm, she was just expressing herself to him without his knowledge. Or trying to, at least. After all, she had forcefully kissed him atop the FTI building in a way that most would also deem that as harassment. Maybe it was somewhat, but then again, he understood, and didn't hold it against her. He could tell she'd been holding it all in for a long time, and couldn't help but get passionate.

He was somewhat responsible, since he had interrogated her to the point of having no reason to tell other than the truth. So with all that happened, he did deserve what was coming, even if it came quite unexpectedly. But really though, was she that scared of loving him? Why was she? He knew he had to give her an escape safe point back then, for the time being, just as he had done right now, only a bit more differently. But he still didn't quite get why she had to hide it. Was it her reputation? Did her bullying act at school really hold her back from showing affection to someone she really liked? Was it her insecurities? Or was it...

Arnold paused in thought, still walking along, as he slowly thought this over some more. He realized that maybe, she was afraid he wouldn't love her back, or even like her like her at the very least. That was perfectly understandable, he knew how that felt. When he liked a girl a lot, he was always afraid of that one factor of uncertainty, whether or not she would like him back. It didn't exactly stop him, but he was aware of it and feared it. That was human nature, after all, the number one fear to all humans was rejection. It was never fun being rejected.

But he saw more and more since the FTi incident as he thought about it, and even asked his Grandfather for advice, that she had more than just a puppy love crush on him. It was real. It was love going beyond what he had ever felt for a girl, let alone thought of. It was way out of his league. And yet, he was curious. Very curious. Was it really possible to love someone that much? All this time?

One thing he didn't quite understand was what she saw in him. Sure, he was a good kid, got pretty good grades, and wasn't a troublemaker, and was known around school to give advice and help others, he knew that much, but really, he was just an ordinary kid. Not exactly the most attractive, or the strongest. What was it about him that made her love him, let alone stay in love with him all this time? He would have expected her to be a bit more demanding. What kind of girl wanted a guy that no other girl seemed to want? He wasn't anything special.

_Whatever it is, it makes her want to KISS me._ Arnold thought, his mind going back to the kiss she'd given him this morning.

He was a fairly light sleeper, so it was no wonder that after a moment he could feel something happening, not to mention a strange and yet familiar feeling on his mouth. His sleepy mind hadn't quite registered what was happening, until he opened his eyes and came to realize that Helga was kissing him. That pretty much shocked him beyond belief, and yet, now that he knew of her feelings, he also wasn't completely surprised. Come to think of it, he wasn't completely surprised by the other three, either.

The first time she kissed him, though he was expecting it since it was in the script of the play, he was surprised she kissed him for so long. Well over a minute! He expected the kiss itself, but not quite the prolonging and passion, as if she had wanted to for a long time. This was one of the times of is life that he consciously had a slight suspicion that Helga liked him a bit more than she let on, but he was very uncertain. After all, she hid it well! But he knew even then that if she really hated him, she would certainly not have kissed him that long. She would have probably held it the shortest possible time, and yet long enough to make it convincing. She had done WAY more than just that, big time.

The second time she kissed him, which was also scripted and to be expected, was also a bit of a surprise in itself, considering that it was also very long and a bit passionate. Of course by then, since they'd kissed once before, it wasn't such a strange new feeling, and yet it was something, for sure.

Then of course, the only kiss that was for real, free of Shakespearian dialog and cameras. That very passionate and forceful smooch that although freaked him out just a little, still blew his mind and left him breathless. It was that kiss, done on her own free will with nothing directing her to do it but her own feelings, that played a part in seeing that she truly loved him.

And now this one. The second excuse-free kiss.

Despite everything about their shared kisses, though one-sided, Arnold did have to admit, deep down, that Helga was a pretty good kisser. Sure, he had nothing to compare it to since she was the only girl he'd ever kissed, or rather, been kissed by, but boy, if she could leave him that breathless...

Arnold shook his head frantically to rid himself of these thoughts. He was getting in too deep, and had to focus on their task at hand, which was to get to the Norashima village, find an Inn or someplace to sleep, get some needed supplies, eat some food, and maybe earn some more money. At least they had enough to start off, which was good.

Still, as helpful and convenient as this would turn out, they still had absolutely no clue how to get back home or even where to look or where to go. What would they do about that? Even Arnold had no answer to that. If Helga was right and they were trapped in a different dimension...

They were screwed.

But they continued down the road, glad to at least have some kind of a goal in mind to make this all a lot easier.

--

A couple of hours went by at this point, and Arnold could see now that they still had an hour or so before they reached the village. For now, they took a break near a beautiful, clear pond just off the road, almost hidden away in some trees that although were sparse, still put up a pretty good shield. And they had not seen another human since they left Konoha, so it was likely they wouldn't run into anyone.

"Hey football head, I don't know about you, but I think a bath is in store. Sleeping all night on the ground might not be the best idea if we want to stay clean and look presentable as possible." Helga told him. "The weeds and bulrushes are tall and thick enough, so we'll have privacy."

"Well, okay." Arnold agreed, though he wasn't so sure about the idea of them bathing together. "Um, why don't you go first and then I'll go in after?"

"Because, bucko, it would take longer! See, we have no towels. Just our clothes. So it'll take longer than it normally would for us to dry, since we have to rely on the sun." She pointed upward to the sky. "If one of us goes first, the other has to wait both ways. I go first, you wait, then I get out, you go in, I dry, you get out, then I gotta wait for you! If we do it all at the same time, we're golden. Trust me, I don't want to get in the water with YOU in it, but if we want to get to that village faster, we don't have much choice."

Arnold's cheeks turned bright pink as he realized the complete irony of what she was saying. Still, he did have to agree that them bathing and drying at the same time would save them time.

"Okay, Helga. There are some rocks we can lay our clothes against, I'll take this side, you can take the other."

"Fine by me, hair boy."

The two went over to some rocks sitting near the pond, turning away from each other and standing a few yards apart. Arnold took off his shoes, socks, his sweater, laying it flat against the rock, and began unbuttoning his shirt. He felt strange getting undressed with Helga so close by, but he forced himself to suck it up and deal with it. He hoped she wasn't looking.

Or what if she was?

No. He couldn't turn around and risk seeing HER naked by accident. That would end badly, and he didn't want to invade her privacy like that.

Arnold took another breath and lay his red and yellow plaid shirt on the rock next to his sweater. He could hear Helga humming a tune behind him, and hearing her shuffling over toward the water. She was wearing less clothing, or so he assumed, than he was, so it was likely she undressed faster. He took off his pants, laying them on the rock too. He could hear Helga getting in to the water behind him. Figuring it was safe to turn around, he turned around and was about to ask her how the water was, and froze.

Helga was standing knee deep in the water, completely naked, and had even released her hair from their pigtails. Her omnipresent pink bow on her head was the only article of clothing she had on by now. Arnold balked, and couldn't look away from her, no matter how much he wanted to turn around fast so that she wouldn't catch him. Thankfully, she wasn't looking in his direction, so she didn't see his predicament. Unwittingly his eyes darted up and down her body, out of curiosity more than anything since he had never seen a naked girl before. Finally his cheeks turned bright pink and he quickly averted his gaze, just as Helga lowered herself into the water and called out to him.

"Hey Arnold! I'm in now. The water's not too bad, so come on!"

"C-Coming..." Arnold replied, taking off his underwear, still feeling shaken up about having just now seen Helga naked, but managed to try to hide it.

She was looking away from him as he slowly tiptoed into the water, ducking behind some tall weeds and bulrushes growing, and lowered himself in. The water was cool, but just fine enough for him to ease in without trouble. It was a very warm day, and the sun had been out for a while now, anyway.

"What's up with you, football head?" Helga peered at him through the cracks in the weeds, despite that the water was now up to their shoulders. "You're bright pink and you're all quiet."

"Uh, I-I'm fine, no problems here." Arnold replied as casually as he could. But of course, he was a lousy liar.

Helga raised one side of her brow, but then shrugged it off, attributing his discomfort to the fact that they were both naked in such close proximity. That of course brought her back to when she had accidentally seen him naked when trying to retrieve her parrot. She blushed at the memory and turned away as she swam around a little in the water.

The two swam around, and despite not having soap, bathed a little and relished feeling a little cleaner and more refreshed. They avoided getting too close to each other, which of course they knew would be disastrous if they didn't. Their eyes met, their bodies submerged to their necks, and then kept on swimming.

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming...." Helga told herself quietly.

Before long, they sat on rocks under the water, leaning against the shore where they just relaxed on either side of the weeds and bulrushes.

"You know, I don't know about you, but this whole thing makes me think of that movie there, _The Amazing Panda Adventure_. Ever see that one?" Helga suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"I've heard of it." Arnold replied. "Is it good?"

"Yeah, it's all right. It's about this kid, Ryan, who goes to China to see his Dad, since he's working with this mother Panda there with some other guys in China. But after a freak accident, Ryan and the Chinese girl, Ling, get lost down a river and end up miles away. Then they soon find an infant panda, the offspring of that mother panda, and they're traveling all around the Chinese wilderness to find his dad and the other workers, and save the baby panda from poachers. At one point, they fall into a raging river, get swept away again, and then they're all dirty and collected leeches. You know, those bloodsuckers? And then they get into this pond to wash it all off, and kind of like us right now. You know, lost in the wilderness, in a pond together? Unwillingly?"

_Except the baby panda, the poachers, and...oh, my poor parentless beloved..._

"It's pretty crazy." Arnold agreed, and glanced at her at the corner of his eye through the bulrushes. "I'll have to remember to rent it when we get home."

"IF we get home." Helga sighed. "Face it Arnold, it's going to be a lot harder than if WE ended up in the Chinese wilderness with a baby panda on hand. We're in some other world and it's gonna be harder to get back."

Arnold sighed, knowing she was right. They were still screwed.

"Yeah, that's true. Come on, let's get out of here and keep going. At least we'll have somewhere to stay and get things we need for a while."

"Whatever. ...You know, Arnold, if we make it back, we can do it together. Um, watch the movie, I mean." Helga stood a little in the water, still hidden behind the bulrushes and weeds. "You know, so we can laugh and say that it was us, that we made it out alive...but it's just one time! Don't get used to it, pal!"

Arnold blushed a little as he caught sight of her chest for barely half a second lowered himself in the water more. "Um...sure, Helga. I guess it could give us something to look forward to..."

Helga smiled, though he didn't see. "Come on, let's get out of here, football head."

Not looking at each other, they slowly climbed out of the water and hid behind some rocks to sit and dry in the sun for a while. It would take longer for their hair to dry, but at least soon they could get dressed and head off.

Before long, they got dressed, avoiding to look at each other, no matter how much Helga had to force herself NOT to look at him get dressed, and then headed off down the path to continue their way to the village.

--

_**The Amazing Panda Adventure **_**is one of my favourite childhood memories, a movie I really enjoyed. :) I couldn't help but make a reference to it. XD Hee hee. :D **


	8. The Old West

"Well FINALLY! We're here!"

"I can't believe we made it. Wow."

They were at the simple, quaint village archway entrance that had a wooden carved sign that read "_**Welcome To Norashima-Stay for a day! It'll feel like a lifetime!**_" in English letters, which was odd, but it wasn't out of place.

Looking ahead down the dusty road path into the village, they could see that despite how Konoha had been both modern and Asian at the same time, this one was the complete opposite. This village resembled that of a town in the Old West, almost looking like it was out of one those Clint Eastwood western movies. The only thing missing was that no one was dressed like a cowboy or any kind of Southern style. It was all modern, and yet also, work clothes. Including overalls, and hats.

People pushed carts around, horses were being ridden or pulling carriages or wagons, people carried boxes and crates around, pushing or pulling wagons. All of the buildings were Old West style, surprisingly. With old fashioned signs and even the front porches!

The two of them slowly entered the village, earning curious glances from the villagers, but nothing further, as they looked around the place, taking it all in. They were amazed and puzzled all at once. It was so interesting, seeing a real place that resembled that of the Old West. It was nothing special, but Helga had butterflies in her stomach, as did Arnold. This was just so interesting.

"Howdy there, kids." A farmer-type middle-aged man greeted as he walked by them, tipping his hat to them.

"Hello, sir." Arnold said politely. In a lower voice, he said to Helga, "This is so interesting. It's like we're in one of those movies that takes place in the wild west."

"I know!" Helga agreed giddily. She didn't even have the will or strength to be mean right now. "This is the coolest! I'll bet they even have guns! Or even...look! They've got one of those old west saloons! ...Oh wait, they're calling it The Old Tavern Hall, but still, it looks like one!"

Arnold looked at her with surprise, amazed that she seemed so excited and giddy for a change, letting out how she was really feeling. It was refreshing, and interesting to see this side of her. He watched her as she took in the place, pointing things out, and looking around the town, and he couldn't help but smile. He was glad she was feeling better about the whole situation and had something to be excited about.

"Arnold! Look over there!" Helga tugged on his arm, pointing ahead them. "There's a train station!"

"Really?" Arnold followed her pointed finger, coming to see that right ahead was indeed a train station.

It also, like the rest of the town, had that old west feel to it. Some people were coming in and out of it, waiting outside it, some waiting by the tracks, he could see. No train was there, but it was obviously in operation.

"Arnold! Do you see what this means?! We can hitch a ride on the train!" Helga said excitedly. "Ha! Justice prevails! We could be out of here by tomorrow! This is great! Fantastic! Awesome!"

She was so overcome with the excitement of seeing such a picturesque Old West town, all the things in it, and then a TRAIN station, that she didn't even realize what she was doing.

Helga grabbed Arnold to her and hugged him tightly, causing his nose to mash up against her collarbone, squishing him against her. She was too happy, too happy to be facing all of this with her beloved, that she didn't even remember what she was SUPPOSED to be doing! She just wanted to express her joy, not care what other people thought, and just HOLD him! She was in pure bliss and having him so close to her like this, maybe not like this this morning when she woke up in his arms, but still felt great none the less.

Arnold meanwhile, was very surprised, with his eyes wide and his arms limp at his sides, feeling like a deadweight and yet turning into putty in her arms. As tight and forceful as she was in hugging him, it was still sincere and full of joy and....love. Arnold felt his heart beat erratically and a strange warmth come over him as she hugged him like this. To return the favour, he just warmly patted her on the back, unsure of whether or not to hug her back, which was actually what he wanted to do. He knew deep down that he had a strange habit of giving her a hug when she did something he liked, and even that one time he hugged her as if he had missed her...so maybe that was why she was hugging him, too?

He had to admit, it was kind of nice hugging her, or somewhat hugging her, and not being pushed away so fast. Hesitating, he brought his other arm around her, and went for it, hugging her back.

After a few more moments, they pulled back, just a bit, not out of their embrace, their eyes met and once more, everything around them seemed to slowly slip away. Helga didn't even care anymore, and neither did Arnold. They just, looked at each other, with gentle confusion. Helga was looking down at him with slight surprise, and yet, she was making no attempt to get away from him. Her eyes were a little wide, and yet, calm. Like she was accepting affection from him instead of turning away from it. It was strange. Why didn't she move? Why didn't she snap out of it and push him away?

It was strange, and yet, they still stood there, as if time itself had frozen, but no. Life was still going on, with the townsfolk still doing what they were doing. No one paid much attention to the two blonde children, staring at each other in a warm embrace.

All of a sudden, not even thinking, they barely even registered what was happening as they leaned closer and closer to each other, their eyes slowly closing, as their lips came closer, just one more step away from meeting-

GONG-GONG-GONG GONG!

Arnold and Helga's eyes snapped open and they quickly jumped and pulled away from each other as if they'd been shot at. They trembled a bit, eyes wide, as they searched around for the source of the noise. Helga looked, and some ways away to the left of the train station, was an old courthouse that was half built, with a clock tower. It almost looked like the Old West version of the Hill Valley courthouse in _Back To The Future III_, even if the face of the clock looked more like that of Big Ben in England. It had been ringing, the source of the noise.

Once over the initial shock, the two of them couldn't even look at each other. At least, not with the other one seeing.

"S-Sorry about that, Helga." Arnold apologized.

"F-Forget about it, football head. It never happened! I was just caught up in the heat of the moment, sheesh! Don't flatter yourself." Helga snapped. "Let's go find an Inn. I'm starving and my feet are KILLING me!"

He gave a quick nod and they resumed exploring the town a little, to try find an inn or whatever they may have.

--

As luck would have it, the town did have an inn. It also, was an Old West style kind of place, and the door even rang a little bell when it opened. A man was behind the desk up front, some chairs were located around the lobby, and a set of stairs was located to the right.

"Um excuse me, are you the innkeeper?" Arnold asked the man.

"Ya got me, kid." Said the innkeeper with a grin. "What can I do for ya?"

"We'd like a room, ya know, preferably with a good working bathroom, and most essentially, two beds." Helga held up two fingers. "Ya got that, padre?"

"Ain't you two kids a bit young to be checkin' in yourselves?" The innkeeper scratched his head. "Where're your parents?"

"Dead." Helga said nonchalantly. "So can we have a room or what?"

"Well I dunno...I ain't allowed to be givin' rooms to minors." Said the innkeeper.

"We-We don't blame you, sir." Arnold said, and looked up at him with sad eyes. "We could never ask you to break the rules. But we-"

Helga nudged him in the leg with her foot.

"My sister and I have been on our own alone ever since the accident when our parents were...killed." Arnold lied. He was a lousy liar, but he hoped he could be at least a little bit convincing. "And our only living relatives live miles and miles away, so we're trying to make our way to find the village they live in. If you could just let us stay a night or two, we have enough money, that's all we ask. Please sir, can you help us?"

"Uh...yeah, what he said. Yeah, we're twins...fraternal, yeah." Helga added to the lie, a bit nervous.

"Oh....dang, that ain't cool." The innkeeper said sympathetically. "Don't worry kids, you can stay as long as you two need. Really, I'm so sorry to hear about your parents. You kids will be okay?"

"We'll be fine." Arnold said. "Thank you so much, Mr. Inkeeper."

"Please please, the name's Hijiro, I'm glad to help you. So then, we got one room left here, you're in luck!"

Hijiro handed them the room key, and Arnold paid the man, the inn had low rates, so they paid enough for two nights to start, and see where things would go. They went upstairs, and came to their room, which was room 203.

Inside, the room had a bathroom, a television, a coffee table, a couch, a closet, a dresser, two night stand tables, and one bed. The walls, floors and ceilings and doors were all made of wood.

One bed. Queen-sized.

"There's only one bed?! Oh come ON!" Helga exclaimed angrily. "Oh forget it! I am NOT sleeping in the same bed as you, football head! No freaking way!"

Arnold gave a sigh and nodded, deciding not to argue. "Okay, Helga. We don't have to sleep in the same bed. You can take it tonight, I'll sleep on the couch, and then tomorrow night if we stay around, we can alternate."

Rolling her eyes, Helga sighed. "FINE, whatever. Have it your way. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to use the bathroom first. I need a shower, bathing in that pond was probably not the best idea." She disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Whatever you say, Helga." Arnold said, and for a brief moment remembered seeing her naked. He blushed bright pink, praying she didn't see, and went to sit on the couch and turned on the TV.

This was going to be a long day.

--

"Okay football head, we're settled, now we must get some grub. I'm starving!" Helga announced as they were now all washed up and settled, walking around the town. "Where's the nearest restaurant?"

"Um....I think that one there." Arnold pointed to a nearby building that had a sign over the door that read "**Hana Aku No Koro Ni Eatery-Come and Eat!**"

"Sheesh, does EVERYTHING have to have a catchy slogan?" Helga rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever. Come on, let's go eat. It's an eatery, so that's good enough for me."

"Okay, let's go." Arnold said, leading the way inside.

It was a quaint little restaurant, with some round tables set about with customers sitting around and having coffee, some food, dessert. It wasn't very crowded, so a few tables were available.

"Wow, this is a pretty interesting place." Helga remarked as they sat down at one of the tables. "Everything in this village is like something out of the Old West. I don't know about you, but that's pretty boss."

"I know, it really is." Arnold agreed, and looked around to try to spot a waiter or an employee. "It's not so crowded, so I guess we won't have to wait too long. I wonder what they have here..."

"Well if you want, I definitely recommend that you guys try the Domburi, they make it really well here, especially with the tendon." Said a girl from the table next to them. She had long blonde hair in a ponytail, with some strands of her bangs hiding the right side of her face, along with teal hair clips.

Sitting with her was a large fat boy around her age, with long, fiery red-brown hair and dressed very differently than what they were used to seeing. Also with them was a tall boy with his hair tied back in a pineapple style.

And they all had forehead protectors of Konoha!

"Really? What else is good here?" Arnold turned in his chair to face them.

"You can try the Soba, I guess." The dark-haired boy shrugged.

"I definitely recommend their barbecued ribs!" Said the fat boy. He almost reminded them of Harold from back home. "And if you like noodles, definitely go with Udon! And their wings here are awesome too."

"The Oden is great if you're into mixed foods." Said the blonde girl. "Or to be simple, have some Yakitori, they make it pretty good here, actually." She then looked a the two, studying their clothing. "...Whoa, you guys have some....interesting clothes."

"Ino, give it a rest." The dark-haired boy sighed. "Not everyone is as close to fashion like you are. Sheesh, what a drag..."

"Shikamaru, you wouldn't know fashion even if it bit you in the a-"

"Ino, come on, don't be so rude." The fat boy said kindly. "These guys just want to know what they serve around here, I guess it's not often that they come here."

"That's for sure." Helga muttered.

"Um, Helga?" Arnold whispered to Helga, turning back around in his seat. "I don't even know what any of those things they said are." He felt like they were at Chez Paris all over again.

"Relax, football head, you can learn a thing or two when your best friend's Japanese. Domburi is a bowl of fried rice that has various toppings on it, usually it's with tempura, chicken, eggs and beef. Pretty good, actually. Soba and Udon are Japanese noodles that are served hot or cold, are kind of similar, and usually served with various toppings. Oden's a nabe dish prepared with some fish cakes, daikon, boiled eggs, konyaku and kombu seaweed. Yakitori is kinda like kabobs, it's pieces of chicken on skewers." Helga explained.

"Hello, and welcome, what can I get for the two of you?" A waitress in her twenties asked them as she came to the table.

"I'll have the Kare Raisu, 'cause I'm living it dangerously, toots." Helga said coolly. "And some water."

"Um...I'll just have Domburi." Arnold said. "I'll also have water."

"Oh, fantastic!" The waitress nodded, writing it down on her notepad before heading off to the kitchen.

"Living it dangerously, not bad." The girl, Ino, remarked.

"It's what I do." Helga shrugged. "Say, couldn't help but notice you guys are from that village back there. Konoha? Yeah, that's it. Leaf village or something."

"Um, Helga, maybe we shouldn't..."

"Nah, it's fine." The dark-haired boy, Shikamaru, said. "You guys from there?"

"No, we're...um, traveling to go stay with our relatives." Arnold said a little sheepishly, trying to remember their lie. Helga kicked him under the table. "I-I mean, well, we just came from Konoha, we left yesterday. I'm Arnold, and this is Helga."

"Ah, traveling kids, huh?" The fat boy said. "Nice to meet you! I'm Chouji Akimichi, and these are my teammates, Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka."

"Hey." Shikamaru said boredly.

"Hello, and yeah, you're right, we are Shinobi of Konoha. My family also owns a flower shop, I work there in my spare time." Ino said proudly.

"Really? That's pretty cool, I worked in a flower shop in our neighbourhood with my best friend one time. It was interesting, even if we hit some rough grounds at times."

Ino nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. So! Where are you guys off to?"

"Oh, just some village, I guess." Helga shrugged. "Gotta find Granny and Grandpa and whoever else we can find in our family."

"You're on the road, traveling to find them, and you don't know where they live?" Chouji asked in alarm.

"We're nine years old, doi! We don't know a lot that goes on in the world and where some places are." Helga said.

"Actually, we're just still trying to find it on the map." Arnold explained, hoping his lousy lying was convincing.

"What a drag..." Shikamaru muttered.

"Wait a sec. Do you guys know some other ninjas there in Konoha... Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura...that Princess..."

"We do!" Chouji nodded. "Naruto and Sakura were in the Rookie Nine along with us. Princess Orivia was a few years ahead, she's our age but sometimes she hangs around us since she's good friends with Naruto."

"You guys met them?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah." Arnold nodded. "Listen, um, if you see them when you get back to the village...can you not tell them you saw us? I mean, our situation was...pretty embarrassing and we couldn't really tell them what's going on."

"Yeah, you know, major embarrassing, tell them you saw us and I'll strangle all of you!"

Ino laughed. "Riiiiight, sure. Well okay, if it means that much to you, we won't tell. But won't they want to know that you're okay?"

"Not unless you lied." Helga said.

"Helga! We can't-OW!"

Team 9 all raised their eyebrows, but shrugged it off.

"Well," Arnold reiterated, wincing in pain from where Helga kicked him in the leg under the table. "I guess you can let them know we're okay. They deserve to know that."

"We'll do that, Arnold!" Chouji promised. "Come on guys, we better get going if we want to reach Konoha by sundown."

"Man, what a drag..." Shikamaru sighed, and got up. "We'll, we've gotta go for now. See you, Arnold and Helga. Hope you find your relatives."

"Bye for now! Come back to the village sometime, maybe we'll see each other again." Ino winked at them and stood up with her teammates.

"Bye kids! Be good and be safe!" Chouji waved to them as he and the other two trouped out the door.

"Thanks, bye!" Arnold waved after them. He sat back in his seat just as the waitress came back with their orders.

"Sorry it took so long." Said the waitress. "Enjoy!"

"Thanks, toots." Helga said nonchalantly, and realized once more that they were given chopsticks. "Hey, you...." She looked at the waitress's nametag. "Hitomi." She pronounced it "Hit-tom-mi." "You mind bringing us a couple of forks?"

"Oh, sure!" Hitomi replied with a nod, seemingly not affected by the rather obvious mispronunciation of her name.

"We'll have to probably learn how to use chopsticks eventually." Arnold murmured, staring at his dish apprehensively. "If we're going to be here awhile, I guess."

"Arnoldo, you're supposed to be looking on the bright side!"

Hitomi returned with two forks, but then Helga grabbed her sleeve before she could walk off.

"Hey Hitomi, we couldn't help but notice the train tracks and the station outside. I take the train is in operation?"

"Yes, it is!" Hitomi nodded.

"Okay, so when does the next train come in?"

"Monday morning at 8 O'Clock, Miss."

"...And today is...?"

"It's Saturday, Miss." Hitomi said, and went off to another table.

"...Well, at least we're on the same time from back home." Helga said, taking her fork and eating some of her curry rice. "So we've been missing about a-whoo! That's hot! A day now."

"I guess everyone back home is really worried by now." Arnold sighed, slowly eating his food, which he thought was very good. "I'll bet Grandma already went out searching for us."

"She'll be looking for days." Helga muttered glumly. "Face it, football head, we may as well get used to this lifestyle. We might be stuck here for life."

"Don't say that, Helga. There has to be a way out of here. I mean, we ended up here somehow, right? So, there obviously has to be a way back." Arnold said, though his tone was uncertain.

"Always looking at the bright side." Helga rolled her eyes again. "Frankly, we should just stay here, make a new life for ourselves."

"We can't just give up like that, we have to try." Arnold protested. "Look, it's not going to be easy, even I know that by now. But we've made it this far, haven't we? We should keep trying, maybe someone knows about the amulet."

"Um, newsflash, football head, how are we going to bring THAT up? And frankly, how do we even prove it?"

Arnold opened his mouth to answer, only to find he had no answer to that, and sighed, slumping over the table and finished his food.

"Figured." Helga finished her plate, and pushed it aside. "But whatever, let's just get the check, then we'll go out to the station and look at that railroad map, see if we can find something."

Arnold nodded. "Okay, Helga."

Hitomi soon returned with their bill, which they paid up and then left the eatery. They went over to the train station, looking around for a railroad map. There was one mounted on the wall on the platform, indicating the routes of the tracks, water sources and bridges.

"Okay, there! So we're here, in Norashima." Helga indicated on the map with her finger. "So let's see...we can either go north back into the outskirts of the Fire Country, we can go west, or south, or north, north east...you get the picture. Since we really are stuck in a strange world, the sky's the limit, doesn't matter where we go."

Arnold studied the map, considering their options. Going toward what they knew now were the Shinobi Villages within their respective countries would mean dealing with ninjas, and other villages, of course. If they steered clear, they would simply come across average places.

The question was, what to do?

"Well, we could get extra help and resources from Ninjas...providing they don't think of us as spies or fugitives. Or we can also go toward the ocean...but then again neither of us can ride a boat, we'd have to charter one."

"We've got until Monday morning to think it over." Helga said. "But hey, I think I know what we can do. We'll leave here, and go west, then...well, maybe while we're at it we can do research and see if we find anything on the amulet, that is, if it does exist here." She bit her lip, considering this.

"We could try." Arnold said. "While we're here, and if we still want to try for that on Monday when the train comes in."

"So it's settled." Helga said, nodding. "First things first, we're off to the library."

That done, they headed back into town, going to the library, which although was small, would hopefully contain some of the information they would need.

--

**Okay, so yeah...XD I used some references and ideas from _Back To The Future Part III_. Honestly, I did NOT plan for that, and this village is entirely made up, tucked in its own place. I'm making it up as I go along and looking at a Geography map of the countries, so do forgive me. They went south from Konoha, and now they're heading west toward the Wind Country.**

**If anyone is confused, feel free to ask questions. :3**


	9. Fires Burning

_**Hello again. :D**_

**Now, you guys might be wondering "Nintendo! When is the good stuff and big adventure going to happen?!", right? Well, worry not, they will come in time. There's a lot to cover in this story!**

**Oh yes, and the fire rescue scene? It was inspired by one of my favourite movies, **_**Homeward Bound II: Lost In San Francisco**_**, the scene where Shadow goes into the burning house to save a young boy. Sassy even goes in too to save the boy's cat. **

**I wasn't originally planning on incorporating a scene like that into here, but it was an idea I wanted to use for a long time, and hey, here we go!**

**Enjoy, y'all. :D**

**--**

Night soon fell, and after a day of buying some extra clothing and under garments and trying to preserve what money they did have, as well as trying to research for a while at the library before it closed, Arnold and Helga soon grabbed an early supper and headed back to the Inn to relax and soon go to bed.

Once more, they had no success of finding any leads on how to get home, or even the amulet for that matter. Arnold was optimistic, thinking they would eventually find SOMETHING, while Helga was getting to be a bit close to giving up hope, and that worried her, and Arnold too. Optimistic and hopeful as he was, he did have a pang of thinking maybe they were right, maybe they would be stuck here forever.

So that evening, after watching some TV, which was pretty interesting in this world, they decided to turn in early and get an early start tomorrow. The next day was Sunday, so they had another full day to decide whether or not they would go for taking the train on Monday morning. Hopefully they would get some things done and maybe find some answers by then. Luckily, they were relieved to be in a fairly safe and stable environment with a roof over their heads and access to full meals as opposed to being in the middle of nowhere with not so much food. At least now, they were safe and warm.

There was still the uneasy question of what they would do if they never made it back home. They tried not to think about it, but they knew they had to look at both sides of the coin. Where would they go? Where would they live? How would they go to school? It was all so confusing and scary, but they did have to think of an alternative. Even if it meant living in this strange, new world.

But hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Hopefully they would find a way to get back home.

"Let's go to sleep." Helga said for the second time that night. She wasn't sure what else to say, and didn't even have the strength to be mean or anything. She was tired from their long day of traveling, the searching, the clothes shopping, it had been a very long day. She saw Arnold going toward the couch, and suddenly, a strange impulse came over her. "...Arnold?"

"Yeah, Helga?" Arnold turned around and faced her.

"...You can get into bed with me if you want." Helga murmured, a soft blush coming to her cheeks and looking away. She couldn't believe what she was doing, but at the moment, she didn't want to be alone in the bed. Sure, he would just be across the room on the couch, but something about all of this just made her want him to be close by. He was the only thing familiar and close to home here, anyway. And well, obviously, she loved him. "I...we don't have an extra blanket and I can't have you getting sick from sleeping on the couch with no blanket."

"Well, I...I wouldn't want to invade your personal space, Helga." Arnold said with uncertainty. "It's okay. You can have the bed, I'll be fine."

But Helga didn't have it. She marched over to him with what little strength she had left, grabbed him by the wrist, practically dragging him to the bed.

"Football head, you are sleeping in this bed, and I am as well. Just stay on your own side, I'll stay on mine, and we'll be good to go. Got it?"

Too tired to argue, Arnold meekly nodded, and she released his wrist before getting onto the bed and crawling over to one side. Following her lead, he too got on the bed and went to the other side, letting out a breath as he settled on the comfy mattress. He got under the covers, and she did also, and before long, they were both snuggled under the warmth, ready to sleep.

"...Night, Arnold." Helga muttered.

"Goodnight, Helga." Arnold said softly. "...Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Before long, their eyes closed and they let sleep overtake them, falling into dreams as the night passed.

--

The next morning, roused by the muffled gong chime of the clock tower, Helga opened her eyes as the sun poured into the room through the thinly veiled curtains on the windows. Strange, she felt warmer than usual, and was up against something that was soft, and yet harder than a pillow, along with limbs around her.

Her eyes snapped open as she saw that she was, once again, in Arnold's arms. And he wasn't the only one snuggling, she had HER arms around him too! What had happened?! She had just woken up in his arms for the second time!

Not that it was a bad thing, of course... Far from it! It was the best thing ever!

No! Helga shook her head and tried to force herself to pull away, despite how her heart and body refused to let her move.

What happened next was even more of a shock.

"Mmm...Helga...." Arnold murmured softly, still asleep, much to her relief.

Oh no, what was going on? Was he dreaming about her?

Helga stared at him in shock, and couldn't even move away from him. In his sleep, he mumbled incoherently, and held her closer, his hand caressing her scalp. Her eyes went wide at all of this, turning into Jello in his embrace, and his touch.

"You smell nice..." He said in his sleep, smiling then. "Helga..."

That tone of voice. She knew it anywhere.

It was his _lovesick-crush-on-a-girl_ voice!

~Meanwhile in Arnold's dream~

"_Arnold...are you having fun, darling?" Helga said sweetly, turning to face him. Her golden hair was down in a light wave, and she wore a pink sun dress, with her bow present on top of her head._

"_Yeah, I am." Arnold said, bringing his arms around her. She felt so warm... "I'm really having fun with you, Helga...I don't think I've ever had this much fun with a girl before."_

_Helga giggled. "I'm glad you are." She smiled more, bringing her arms around him too. "Nothing makes me happier than to be by your side."_

_Beaming, he then reached up to caress her cheek. "Helga, I...I never realized just how much I really felt about you, how much fun we could really have. And, well, I've been thinking so much about this and I realize now what I feel toward you."_

"_What, darling?" She asked softly._

"_Well, I really like you. In fact, it's more than liking you...you can say I...I... I love you. I think I always have."_

"_Arnold...." Helga murmured softly, her eyes lighting up with pure joy. "Oh Arnold my love, kiss me..."_

_Leaning up toward her on tiptoe, their lips met. Sparks flew between them, and Arnold brought her closer, kissing her gently, sweetly, with passion, and she kissed back with equal fervor. All he could feel was her, her soft lips, the feel of her warm body, and the love radiating between them._

_They pulled away, and then all of a sudden, the scene darkened, causing Arnold to cry out in surprise, looking around to see what was going on. Helga was gone, she too had disappeared._

"_Helga? Helga? Helga where are you?!" Arnold cried. "Helga!"_

"_Arnold..." Came a new, unfamiliar voice. "Arnold?"_

"_Huh? Who's there? Where...Where's Helga?" Arnold looked around nervously. "Who are you? Where are you?"_

"_It's okay, Arnold...everything will come clear to you soon." Someone stepped out from the shadows, bathed in a soft light. A young woman, with brown hair, blue eyes, appeared before him. "Uncertainty and fright are evident within you now. Don't worry, you'll find the answers."_

"_Answers? What answers? Tell me!"_

"_You'll see, Arnold. They'll come in time."_

"_W-Wait! What do you mean? Where's Helga?"_

~End of dream~

Helga managed to effectively pull away as Arnold suddenly woke up, gasping for breath, his eyes wide.

"Whoa..." He muttered, blinking as he sat up.

"What's with you?" Helga wanted to know. "You have a nightmare or something?"

"H-Huh?" Arnold looked at her for a moment, and then looked at the bed covers as he remembered the strange dream he had.

He had dreamed that he had spent a lot of time with Helga, and she was being really, really nice, sweet and caring, like she really loved him. And he had had so much fun with her, and then...love? He wasn't sure what to make of that. Then again, dreams rarely ever made sense. It was probably nothing.

Then again...who was that girl? That young woman he saw, telling him it would all be clear to him soon.

Oh well, it didn't matter now.

"Nothing, Helga. I'm fine." Arnold said quickly. "Um, let's get dressed and we'll go get something to eat."

"Um...okaaaayyy..." Helga raised one side of her eyebrow and then decided to just shrug it off.

They got out of bed, and Helga went into the bathroom to wash up and change, while Arnold changed into his clothes in the room, trying not to think about the crazy dream he'd had. Despite it being confusing, it was really nice. Seeing Helga in such a sweet and loving state was wonderful, it felt as if the dream was real, and yet it wasn't. Then the love confession...where did that come from? What did that mean? Yes, he knew she loved him, and that he did really like her when she was nice, but love? He wasn't at all sure.

He sighed, placing his newly bought PJ's into the cargo backpack he had bought yesterday as well. As well as clothes, they bought backpacks as well, to have better mobile storage. He placed his half of their money into his pocket, reminding himself to find a way to earn money themselves come the time they run low.

"All right, I'm done." Helga said as she emerged from the bathroom fully dressed. "It's all yours for now, football head."

"Thanks, Helga." Arnold said. "I'll be right back out." He gave her a smile and then walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Helga watched after him for a moment, and then sat back on the bed with a sigh, falling back onto it. It wasn't easy trying to keep cool when she had woken up in Arnold's arms, again! They must have snuggled up to each other in their sleep, that was the only logical explanation she could think of. Was this going to happen often? She hoped so, and yet hoped not at the same time.

She sighed to herself. This was such a calamity, and she didn't even know what to try to do about it. Laying there for what seemed like hours, she barely even noticed Arnold exiting the bathroom.

"Helga? I'm done too, you ready to go?"

"W-What?" Helga sat right up, her train of thought derailing. "O-Oh, yeah. Let's get out of here, football head. I'm starved."

They left the room, making sure to lock the door behind them with the key, and headed downstairs, saying good morning to Hijiro at the front desk as they headed outside.

It was quite a beautiful day, despite the clouds rolling in. The townsfolk were going about their daily activity, the smell of wood and horses and hay were in the air, the whiny of horses, the chatter of the people...it was like any other day. Despite the situation at hand, they did feel a sense of comfort.

Until, of course, they heard commotion going on in the town outskirts. Screams, yelling, and a strange, unsettling smell in the air.

"Helga...I think something's wrong." Arnold said, looking toward the outskirts, and that's when he saw it.

Smoke was rising into the air! A lot of it, too. Putting two and two together, Arnold realized that the commotion was occurring where the smoke was rising. No hesitating on his part, he hurried down the path toward the outskirts, with Helga following behind him, yelling after him. This didn't look good, not at all.

A small crowd of people, along with men in uniforms with hoses, were gathered several yards away from a house that was on fire. Flames and smoke eroded from the shattered windows, the roof was starting to collapse, but the rest of the house still stood, despite it slowly deteriorating from the inside. A man and a woman were in front of the small crowd, holding each other and crying, screaming someone's name as they looked at the burning house with despair and horror.

"Oh no...this house is on fire...!"

"Akira! Akira!! Akira!! Someone save him, please!" The mother screamed.

"Helga...someone is still in there!" Arnold realized in shock. His instincts kicked in, and before Helga could say anything, he made a dash toward the house.

"Arnold! Arnold what are you doing?! No!" Helga screamed after him.

But Arnold didn't listen. He ran to the blazing house, looking for a way in. He spotted a basement window that was flame-free. He went to it, pushing the frame in and slipping into the house. Overwhelmed by the smoke and the smell, he quickly covered his nose with his sweater.

"Akira!" He called out the person's name. "Akira! Akira where are you?!"

--

Back outside, Helga watched the blazing house with horror and despair, as well as shock. How could she have let this happen, first someone was stuck inside, and if that wasn't bad enough, now her beloved was in there too! She tensed, her face showing clear terror, wide eyes on the brim of tears. No one in this town knew who she was, it didn't matter that she was showing true concern and fright for her love. That thought gave her comfort, knowing she could freely express it, and even if not for that, she could still say that she wasn't THAT heartless, of course she would freak if someone she knew went inside of a burning building!

Barely a moment passed when Helga made her decision.

She was going in there after all.

Helga ran to the house, ignoring the yells of protest of the men with the hoses, or firemen if she wanted to be technical.

"Arnold, hang on, you stupid football head!" Helga yelled as she too crawled in through the lone window.

She coughed as smoke surrounded her, her eyes beginning to burn with tears. Covering her mouth and nose with her shirt, Helga hurried into the other room, looking desperately for Arnold.

"Arnold!" She called, coughing.

--

"M-Mommy...." Came a soft whimper from nearby.

"Akira? Akira, where are you?" Arnold called into the room.

He then came to see a little boy cowering next to the staircase, covered in soot and ashes, with some rips and seams in his sweater, but for the post part, was unharmed and not burned. He guessed this was Akira, who appeared to be around six or seven years old.

"Akira, Akira, it's okay." Arnold quickly went over to him. "I'll get you out of here. Okay? Just hang on. Here, I've got you."

"O-Okay..." Said Akira, still scared.

Arnold took his hand and squeezed it in reassurance, then helped him to his feet. He covered his nose again, looking for a way out. The front door was ahead of the staircase a few feet away, and was seemingly safe, despite the smoke bellowing through and around it. It would have to do, they couldn't stay in here much longer.

"C'mon, let's go." Arnold told him, and began to rapidly but carefully lead him out to the front door.

"Mommy!" Akira cried, coughing.

The two boys made it out the front door, with Akira coughing the whole way, but still putting up a fight. Arnold took a whiff of fresh air, and hurried Akira down the front steps and across the lawn to where his parents were.

"Akira! Akira! He's out! He's all right!" Cried the father.

A few firemen came to them, picking up Akira and returning him to his parents, reuniting the little family. A loud explosion was heard, a burst of flames shooting out from the front door, and part of the roof and porch collapsed on and around the front door, making everyone jump and scream. If Arnold hadn't saved him and brought him outside when he did, they would have either been trapped or crushed.

Breathing a relieved sigh to will off his pounding heart, Arnold hurried over to the family to make sure Akira was all right.

"Young man, thank you! Thank you!" The mother exclaimed, tears running down her face.

"Thank you so much, kid, for saving Akira's life." Said the father, smiling and ruffling Arnold's hair.

"You're welcome, sir, ma'am." Arnold smiled back, glad that everything would be okay. "I really wanted to-" Realization suddenly dawned on him. "Wait...where's Helga?!"

"Helga?" The father repeated, confused. "Oh! You mean that girl you were with? Oh...she went in after you."

"Helga's inside?!" Arnold cried in shock. He looked back to the house, struck with horror, looking and feeling just as he did the time Hillwood was flooded and Helga had fallen out the window and into the water while they were in the school trying to save Mr. Simmons.

An explosion broke out from an upper level window, and the sound of wood and heavy items could be heard falling and crashing inside.

"NOOO!" Arnold yelled.

The hoses kept spraying, and everyone standing around fell into a silent shock, unsure of what to say or think. Arnold's knees buckled as he stared at the burning house with horror, shock, and despair. His heart sank, and he felt completely numb and stricken with grief.

All of a sudden, coughing was heard, and out from the smoke, came Helga, her hair and clothes had soot and ashes in some places, but other than that she was unharmed. She also was carrying a gray tabby cat in her arms, having probably rescued it from inside.

"Helga!" Arnold exclaimed in surprise and relief.

"Ouch! Quit scratching me!" Helga said, wincing, but she smiled a little at the cat and went over to Akira. "Here's your kitty. Lucky I found him, kid."

"Oh...th-thank you! Thank you!" Akira uttered happily, taking the cat from her. "You saved my cat!"

"Ah, don't mention it." Helga said nonchalantly, but still smiled a little.

"Helga! You're all right! Thank goodness!" Arnold ran to her, throwing his arms around her. "I'm so glad you're safe, I was worried something happened to you in there."

Helga's eyes widened considerably, her heart pounding like a jackhammer, not just from his hug, but also the fact he had been worried about her. He did care! Not that she doubted it, he was Arnold, he always cared about people. Still, it was just nice to know that he did truly care about her wellbeing and safety. She blushed, and let him hug her a little longer than she'd normally allow, her gaze turning lovesick as a small sigh escaped her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, hair boy. Relax." She patted his back a couple of times and pulled away. "C'mon, let's get back to town and get some grub. I'm starving!"

Arnold just smiled, not even caring about her change in attitude. "Whatever you say, Helga." He was just glad she was alive and well.

"Hey! Where are they going?" Akira asked as the kids trouped off.

"Maybe they're going home, son." Said his father.


	10. Uncertainty

"Anything yet?"

"Not a thing, football head."

Arnold gave a sigh, placing the book aside in frustration. They had spent a good portion of the afternoon at the library, searching through the books, and finding nothing about what they were looking for. Nothing. Helga even skimmed through alphabetical volumes of an Encyclopedia, but found nothing either. It was starting to become a wild goose chase for them now.

"Face it, we won't find it!" Helga groaned, slamming another book shut. "This stupid amulet probably doesn't exist in this world! But of course that doesn't make sense since it has to somehow in order for us to be HERE! Criminy!"

"We shouldn't give up yet, Helga." Arnold reasoned. "This is a small town, after all, so I guess they just don't have a lot of things. Maybe we'll find some things in the next village we come to when we get there tomorrow."

"Always looking at the bright side, Arnoldo." Helga said, rolling her eyes. "Fine. I'll bite." She looked at a clock mounted on the wall, and could see that the hour of twilight had descended outside. "Let's go back to the Inn, all this reading and researching is killing me."

"Sure, Helga. Let's put the books back and we'll get going."

Helga nodded and helped him gather the books they had taken to the table with them and went to return them to their designated places on the shelves. Once done, they exited the library, and went over to a food vendor, picking up some packaged meals, some hot and some cold, and took them back to their room at the Inn.

Inside the room, Arnold set up the food on the coffee table, turning on the TV so that they could eat and watch some television. Helga disappeared into the bathroom and washed her hands, and then undid her hair from their pigtails and looked at herself. She had taken a shower earlier that day after the fire, so her skin, hair and clothes were free of the soot and ashes.

Still, she sighed. She didn't look her best, and she sure didn't feel her best, either. Not with the entire situation raining down on her like it was.

Not even bothering to put her hair back in pigtails, Helga changed into her PJ's and exited the bathroom, joining Arnold on the couch. She noticed him staring at her with surprise, and she snapped her gaze at him.

"What?! What are you looking at, football head?!" Helga demanded.

"N-Nothing Helga, I'm sorry." Arnold quickly averted his gaze. "I-I just never saw you with your hair down before. You look nice. I-I mean, not that you don't already look nice! What I mean is that you do look pretty with your hair down, but it doesn't matter either way."

Well, that was partially true. He had never seen Helga with her hair down, since she constantly wore her hair in pigtails in his presence. The only time he did see her with her hair down was when she was impersonating Cecile, after she had thrown up and her hair had gotten limp. Despite the situation, she did like it better than the poodle haircut.

"...Well, thanks, I guess." Helga shrugged, taking a bowl of Soba noodles and went to eating it, turning her attention to the TV.

There was something so familiar about her now that she had her hair down. He had to admit, she really did look pretty with her hair down. Her pigtails were cute, and made her look very much like her age, but her hair down, it was as if she were different, and yet it was still Helga. If she wore her hair down, she would definitely be turning heads. Her big blue eyes contrasted so nicely with her blonde hair, and her light skin tone went along with the combo very well. Her round, slightly G-shaped nose was cute and small but evident, her lips were pouty, and her unibrow, though most found it unatractive, seemed to just add to her charm. It was unique, and did well in defining her expressions, which often combined with her mouth, eyes, and sometimes her hair.

Come to think of it, really looking at her then, as she was watching TV and eating the Soba noodles, she really was pretty. In her own way, but still pretty. Once more, Arnold blushed and looked away, unable to believe that he had thought of Helga as pretty, again. It was strange to say, but pretty hard to deny. She could be pretty when she wanted to be, and right now just about proved it. If her hair were more brushed, and she even applied some light but noticeable makeup, she would look beautiful, and REALLY turn heads.

Then again, it didn't matter either way. What mattered more, was that Helga never seemed to care about how she looked, or what other people thought about how she looked. She was so "real", for lack of a better word. It was obvious she liked wearing a pink bow on her head, something that most girls their age didn't do, but she did it anyway. Most girls wouldn't be caught dead with a unibrow, and yet she didn't say nor do anything of it, which meant she didn't care or even liked it. Everything about her, despite how she always put up hostility as a constant defense mechanism, Helga was all natural.

And he liked it. Unsure of why, he just did. It her more appealing, and attractive.

Arnold gave a sigh, trying to ward his mind off all of this as he reached down for a container of rice, turning his attention to the TV as well.

Right then, there was a knock on the door. Helga made a move to get up, but Arnold smiled and got up, indicating he would get it. At his back, she smiled too.

Arnold went to the door and opened it. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Arnold!" Hijiro greeted. "Sorry to bother y'all, but this letter came here addressed to you two." He held out an envelope to him, with his and Helga's names written across it in formal cursive.

"Really? Who from?" Arnold asked, taking the envelope.

"Not sure, kiddo. A raven flew in through the window and dropped it on my desk before flying off. I'm guessin' some messenger or something." Hijiro shrugged. "Well, I'll let you guys read it then. See you later!"

"Thanks, Hijiro." Arnold said as the Innkeeper left, and he shut the door. "I wonder who this is from..."

"Beats me. Bring it over here so we can read it already!"

"Okay, okay." Arnold went back over to the couch, opening the envelope and taking out the letter.

It was on Konoha stationary, also written in the fancy cursive that embedded their names on the envelope. He unfolded it and held it out for them both to see.

_**Dear Arnold and Helga,**_

_**Surprised, huh? Well, after Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji told me about where you guys were and what you were doing, where you were going, I was pretty surprised at that. Why didn't you tell us what was going on? I understand your situation may have been...well, embarrassing to say the least, but don't be afraid to tell this to others, sometimes it can help to even just talk about it.**_

_**But it's okay. I understand, and I wouldn't have tried to force it out of you either way. **_

_**I'm just glad you two are all right and well on your way. It's a very dangerous world out there, crawling with enemy ninjas and spies. Just be careful, okay? They will not exercise their strength just because you're kids. They will KILL you if given the chance. Don't give them that chance. Just keep each other safe and try to stay on the main roads. Be careful.**_

_**I also want to express my deepest condolences about what happened to your family. I'm so sorry to hear what happened, and trust me, I can relate. I won't bore you or go into details about it, but let's just say I know how it feels to be without parents.**_

_**Be careful, you two. And stay safe.**_

_**Enclosed is a couple of things that I hope will help you. Please accept it. I know it may seem like too much, given what you do have, but know that I really am glad to help you two. **_

_**Be good. :)**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Orivia Uchiha**_

_**P.S. Naruto wanted to write something to you guys too! What a nutball.**_

_**Heeeeeeyyyyyy guys! Glad to know you guys are okay! I was pretty worried when you guys left, and when Ino and Shikamaru and Chouji were telling us what you guys were doing. But hey, you're safe and that's great!**_

_**Good luck! And definitely come back to visit sometime, we'd love to see you again! I'll treat you to ramen again, too. ;)**_

_**See ya!**_

_**Naruto Uzumaki, Future Hokage of Konoha**_

"Those double crossers! I can't believe they told!" Helga exclaimed angrily. "Wonderful!"

"It's okay, Helga. We don't need to lie within a lie." Arnold coaxed. "I mean, it was the right thing to do, letting them know we're okay."

"Whatever. So what did actual-real-Princess include with the letter, anyway?"

"I don't know, let's have a look." Arnold placed the letter aside and looked into the envelope.

Inside were two slips of paper, containing their names and information, written in English and in the language here, which Helga attributed as Japanese, despite that she still couldn't read it. From what the little slips said, it was guaranteed permission entrance to Shinobi villages for non-ninja folk. A little note accompanied the slips with a short message.

_**These slips of paper are permission identification for entrance to the Shinobi Countries and villages. So if ever you need to go to a Shinobi village, be sure to present these so you will gain entrance and permission to enter. Just be sure to get photos of yourselves taken and added, which you can do just about any place that has a photography store. You need either a high political figure, a Kage or leader of the Shinobi villages to vouch for you, so don't worry, I signed the slips and let them know that you have permission to be within Ninja grounds.**_

_**Good luck.**_

_**O.U.**_

Also in the envelope was some extra money, about 600 extra to split.

"Well what do you know. We barely know these people and yet they go out of their way to help us." Helga said in amazement.

"That's so generous of her." Arnold murmured, and gave a smile. "We'll definitely have to pay her back somehow."

"Guess so. But really, what do you give to a Princess? A real one, on top of that. She must have a bagillion things!"

Arnold shrugged. "She's pretty humble and down to earth, I don't think she'll be hard to please. At least I don't think so."

"You and your romantic view of people." Helga said, shaking her head. "Fine, we'll think of something. And it had better be good!"

"We'll do that. We'll make it good. At least now we have access to the...other villages, maybe they'll have better information, and even a way to find out about the amulet."

"They better." Helga went back to eating some Soba noodles. "Meanwhile, we have the tube and some food, a roof over our heads, so just enjoy it."

"Whatever you say, Helga." Arnold said with a good-natured smile, taking some food and eating it while watching some TV. "Whatever you say."

"Darn right, whatever I say. And don't you forget it!"

Arnold just smiled, finding himself in one of those moments that he actually did really like her more feisty, fiery side. Now that he could see through her better, understand somewhat how she worked, he accepted it. More so than before.

Maybe this would go better than he thought.

=-=-=

That night, they had slept in the bed together again, with Helga doing everything she could so as NOT to end up in his embrace, despite how her heart was screaming against that. She had to, for the sake of her sanity. And so of course, not to scare Arnold, who would likely be very freaked out. No. She had to play it safe. At least, unless he suddenly came out and declared his undying love for her.

Sadly, that was just an impossible dream. And once reminded of that, she fell into a silent despair. Why, why, did she have to face unrequited love? It wasn't fair. Not in the least.

On the other hand, thinking on the "bright side" of the subject, he didn't exactly come out and say "I don't like you like you, I'm not interested" and go into a Mr. Nice Guy speech about how sorry he was for breaking her heart, said he'd help her find someone else, all that jazz. Yes, he was obviously in shock, and rightfully so, and very confused. Sure, she did take his opening for her to take it back as a sign, but it couldn't have been that simple. If he had really wanted to reject her, he would have been honest and said so in the first place. But he didn't. There was a shred of hope in there, maybe, just maybe, he would come to realize he felt the same way?

Helga lay there on the bed, with Arnold asleep on his side, staring up at the ceiling and wide awake. Once more, she was thinking of all this, and hoping with all her might that Arnold would one day love her back. It would take work on her part, she realized. He knew she loved him now, and he wasn't buying her bullying anymore, despite that he didn't exactly fight back against it in a matter of speaking. Things were normal, just as they always were before the FTi incident. Although, deep down, things were NOT the same. The cat was out of the bag, and now the ball was in his court. She wondered what he thought of all this, if he did at all. Could it be maybe he was trying to figure it out? Figure out how he felt? She couldn't tell. Not unless they discussed it.

But no! They couldn't do that! Not now, anyway. If not now, when? In her mind, probably never. But of course she knew better now, it would come out eventually. Just like her secret.

Still, it made her wonder. What next? Could she do anything to make him love her? Helga knew that Arnold did like her, when she was being "real" and not using her hostility to cover up her true emotions. Bur love? Was there any possibility that she could make him fall for her? If so, how? What could she do? Besides the obvious, of course.

Helga sighed, and turned her head to the side, looking over at Arnold. He was laying on his side, facing her way, asleep. She smiled, and reached out to gently caress his cheek. He stirred a little, but didn't wake up.

"I'll do what it takes to make you love me..." She sighed, and took a moment to admire how soft and angelic he looked when he was asleep. "Goodnight, and sweet dreams, my flaxen-haired angel..."

She kissed her palm, and then lay it back on his cheek, before rolling over and going to sleep herself.

==-=-==-

It happened again.

Only this time, Arnold was the one who woke up first.

Woke up only to discover that somehow, during the night, he and Helga ended up in each other's arms. She was curled up next to him, her head snuggled into the crook of his neck, her arms around his body. His arms were around her also, which he didn't know had happened in their sleep.

This was wrong. He had to get out of this before Helga woke up and slapped him silly, or worse. But she remained asleep, completely oblivious to the whole thing. Or if anything, she looked content.

Studying her a moment, Arnold tool in the sight of her asleep, with her hair down and framing her face. She was smiling in her sleep, looking very peaceful and at ease, like she was lost in a wonderful dream. He had to admit, she looked so sweet and almost angelic when she was sleeping. He'd seen her asleep once before, back when she had been beaned and had amnesia and she had fallen asleep on her bed. He smile a little at the memory, having tucked her in and even placed a doll in bed with her. Taking care of her back then, although a bit tricky since dealing with someone with amnesia was never an easy task, he had been glad to help her and ease her through it all. She was also very sweet, albeit confused, during her amnesiac state, and just plain adorable, such as when she had taken his hat and placed it on her nose, and looking around at things with wide, curious eyes and a big smile. It was one of those times he really enjoyed spending time with her. Even the walk home after she`d been recovered was pleasant in itself.

Yeah, there were times he really liked being around her. Right now, despite the entire situation at hand, he was glad to be with her. Maybe it was also a little chance for them to put their differences aside and work together, which always came through well when they did. Sure, this one was more intense than building a sandcastle or escaping a flooding greenhouse or saving the neighbourhood, but it still required teamwork none the less.

Teamwork was essential, and he knew they had to keep it afloat and stick together if they were ever going to get out of this. Or worse, have to live in this for the rest of their lives.

_It'll be hard...but I know we can make it, whether we make it back home or not. I'll have to protect Helga with all I have. She can take care of herself, which is a good thing, but she should know I have her back regardless. Always. ...I never thought of this before, but she really does look pretty when she's asleep. I wonder what she's dreaming about?_

His thoughts once more drifted back to how pretty and peaceful she looked while asleep, when suddenly, a new distraction came into play.

"Arnold...Arnold..." Helga murmured in her sleep, snuggling closer to him.

For a moment, he thought she had woken up, but it confirmed after a moment that she hadn't, much to his relief. He came to realize then that he was still holding her. Was he really that distracted? Why hadn't he let go of her by now?

"Arnold... Oh, Arnold... Kiss me..."

Kiss? Did he hear her right? Yes, she was talking in her sleep, but she still said it out loud, to which she was unaware. Did this happen a lot? Helga dreaming of him? Most especially in this kind of manner?

That brought him back to that morning they were in the middle of nowhere, and he had woken up to her kissing him. Why was this so surprising? She was in love with him, and quite obviously, wanted to express her affection with kissing, which something most kids their age wouldn't do. Not unless you knew the older kids did it and wanted to look more grown up, or in her case, when apparently holding hands, sitting together at lunch and maybe sometimes going out to places wasn't enough. Oh yes, she had proven that kissing was definitely in question to express her affection to him. Even though she was trying to keep it secret. But the cat was out of the bag, he knew all of that, even without words.

For a moment, he could feel a pang of guilt running through him. Here she was, so in love with him, and yet he had no idea how HE felt about her. He did like her, and he cared about her, but love? He just wasn't sure. That brought him back for a moment, when he'd talked to his grandfather about her.

"_Whoa ho! Well short man, I told you she had it bad for you!"_

"_Yeah, you were right, Grandpa. She DOES like me. And now that I know that... She played Juliet in the school play so that she could kiss me. And then kissing me on the beach during the Babewatch thing, and now on the FTi building. It's kind of shocking, but I have to admit...she IS a good kisser..."_

_Phil smiled knowingly. "So short man, I take it you like it when she kisses you? Ha ha, I remember when your Grandma first kissed me, holy smokes I was blown away!"_

_Arnold gave a chuckle and the blushed a bit at the question. "Well...um...I'm not sure really, but I can't say that I don't like it. I don't have anyone to compare it to, but she does kiss pretty good. She...well...kisses with so much passion, like she really wants to."_

It was true, he honestly didn't not like kissing her, and yet, it was a lot to take in, especially when he was unsure of how he felt about her. Now here she was, in her sleep, begging him to kiss her. She was dreaming, obviously, and he knew he could just ignore it and it wouldn't matter. Okay, time to let go, scoot over to his side of the bed and pretend he wasn't just-

A rush overtook him, and it took a moment to register that he had just now lowered his lips onto hers.

_What am I DOING?!_ _I can't do this! She's sleeping, and if she wakes up, I'm dead! Or she'll think I feel the same way...no, no, I can't do this to her! So what am I doing?! Why am I kissing her now? She's not awake, she wasn't asking me directly! Darn it Arnold, stop it!_

But he didn't. He couldn't. Frankly, he had no idea what he was doing right now. All he could feel were her lips, which were soft and tasted like Soba noodles and onigri, and the strange sparks when their lips met.

Quickly he pulled away, and thankfully, she didn't wake up.

_I am NOT doing that again!!! _Arnold thought, letting go of her and scooting to his side of the bed. _Okay, I need to calm down... I'll just feign innocence and pretend it never happened. If we ever talk about it like I told her....maybe I'll figure things out then. In the meantime, I better pretend like I'm asleep, or-_

Helga was stirring, frowning a little at the loss of warmth, groping for him along the bed before she rolled onto her back, stretching out her body and then yawning loudly before she opened her eyes tiredly. She groaned groggily, and rolled over to look at the clock on her bedside table. It was 7:15 AM.

"Gah! Arnold, why didn't you wake me up?!" Helga shot up in bed as she realized what time it was. "Hurry up! We have less than an hour before the train comes! Come on, hurry! You go take a shower first, now! Now! Hurry! Let's move!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, Helga." Arnold coaxed, glad to have a distraction from the kiss he had planted on her, and that she had no idea he'd done it. "I'll be quick." He took his clothes from his bag, and went to the bathroom.

"You better be, you football-headed geek bait..." Helga yelled into the bathroom, and then slipped down onto the bed, taking out her locket. She nearly forgot she still had it. "Little ANGEL... Oh Arnold, why must I treat you cruelly? I really have to do something about it, but what? Ugh..." She looked at his picture and smiled, kissing the frame sweetly. It was nothing like kissing the real thing, but it would have to do for now. "Arnold my love, how it still warms my heart to know I don't have to face this funk alone! How your bright optimism and sense of adventure makes it all worthwhile! Now we just have to get ready, eat breakfast, and go get ourselves a train ticket!"

==-==-

They rushed through breakfast, which was cold leftovers from the night before, and were both all dried and cleaned up, they packed up their bags, gave the key back to Hijiro and bid him farewell before rushing out the door.

It was 7:43 by the time they came to the train station, where people were already waiting to depart or see off their friends or family members. 17 minutes before the train came along.

"Okay man, two one-way tickets to..." Helga paused, trying to remember the name of the village they would come to in the west.

"Shiranami?" Arnold offered.

"Right! Shiranami, and make it snappy!"

The man in the ticket booth printed out the tickets, staring at the two of them oddly. "Ain't you two a bit young to be traveling alone by train?"

With a glare, Helga reached throught the slot in the window, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him forward, mashing his cheek against the window.

"Now you listen, and you listen good, bucko. You are going to present us with the requested tickets, we will pay you the money, and we will be on our way. NO questions ASKED! Not unless you have some kind of a valid question that needs answering, but has nothing to do with WHY we were traveling! Is that in any way unclear?!"

The ticket man nodded meekly, sliding the tickets throught the slot. "S-Sorry Miss, I didn't mean to...h-have a safe trip..."

"Good." Helga gave an eerie smile and then let go, taking the tickets, placing some money through the slot and then handed Arnold one of the tickets. "And before you go into your saint-like do-gooder speeches, just shut your trap and forget about it, football head. What's done is done."

Arnold opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it and just shook his head. "Whatever you say, Helga."

With that, they waited patiently on the platform for the train to arrive.

Before long, the train finally rolled in at 8:00, right on schedule. Which, to their surprise, was electric and looked pretty much like a train from back home. It pulled up to the platform, coming to a stop. People disembarked from it, and the conductor came out as well, waiting by the entrance door so people could present their tickets.

"Well football head, we are on our way. Shame, I think I'll miss it here." Said Helga, and looked over at him as they headed over to the conductor.

"Yeah, this was a pretty neat town, it felt like we were in the Old West." Arnold smiled. "You know, this reminds me of the time you, me and Gerald were at the old train station back home, waiting to see if the legend of the haunted train was real."

"And it turned out to be a huge crock! I mean, we should've known better! It was just some employee train for the steel mill!"

"At least now we know better." Arnold handed his ticket to the conductor, and so did Helga.

"Have a good ride, you two." Said the conductor, giving a smile.

"Thanks, sir." Arnold said, and they boarded the train.

The interior of one of the cars was also pretty much like a regular train, with seats and trays by the windows and all.

"Well finally, let's go!" Helga plopped down on one of the seats.

Arnold sat next to her, feeling pretty giddy himself. Despite the uncertainty of getting home, he was pretty excited to be traveling to a new place. So they sat, waiting for the train to move.

Before long, the train pulled away from the station, and headed west.


	11. Trains, Woods, and Ninjas

**Oooh yes people, this is where the good stuff just begins! :D I'm pretty excited about it. Finally! I didn't want this all to happen too soon, and yet not too far in, so here we go!**

**I thank all of you so much for taking the time to read this and give it a chance like this. I really appreciated it. :D**

**And I especially thank YOU, SuprSingr! You have been immensely supportive and wonderful, thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying this!**

**I also want to thank you too, acosta perez jose ramiro, for offering such great input and also taking the time to read this. Thank you too! :)**

**And okay, for a little treat spoiler, I'll share something with you all. XD Arnold and Helga will be kissing A LOT in this story.**

**-=-=-=**

"Awwww...Naomi, look at those two." A man in his forties said to his wife, and pointed toward two particular passengers.

Naomi, a woman also in her forties, followed where her husband, Yutaka, was pointing. She gave a smile, awwed by the sight. "That is so adorable, they fell asleep against each other...awww... Kind of reminds me of when we were young."

"Ah yeah, that takes me back." Yutaka agreed, taking his wife's hand. "They must be pretty close, I can just feel the warmth and the trust between them."

"I know what you mean." Naomi beamed, and looked back at them. "I can tell just by looking at them that they make such a cute couple."

Yutaka nodded, kissing his wife's hand sweetly. "I couldn't agree more, honey."

The train ride had been going on for a few hours now, and through it all, after spending some time admiring the scenery out the window, it wasn't long before Helga fell asleep, and then Arnold followed not so long after. Now they were sleeping in their seats with their heads snuggled together. Anyone looking at them would have assumed they were a couple, which was exactly what Yutaka and Naomi were thinking, since they were passengers that had boarded at a previous stop and only saw them just then.

"I used to wear my hair in pigtails..." Naomi mused, giggling. "And that bow on her head is so cute!"

"That boy there sure has a strangely-shaped head." Yutaka remarked. "That little hat he's wearing, that's pretty neat. I guess he likes hats smaller than his head."

Naomi giggled again. "And look, they're both blonde. Like we are. ...Or used to be."

"I still love you, even if you are graying." Yutaka teased flirtingly.

"Oh shut up!" Naomi laughed, flirting right back.

It was around then that Arnold and Helga began waking up, coming to hear the sounds of the train rolling, and the chatter of the passengers. As they regained consciousness, and opened their eyes, they came to see that their heads were awfully close together now. Eyes wide, both blushing, they tore away from each other, sitting at the far end of their respective seats, avoiding looking at each other.

From where they sat, Yutaka and Naomi both chuckled in amusement.

"...Any idea if we're there yet, football head?" Helga finally said.

"I don't know, probably not." Arnold replied. "We've been asleep for a while, I'm not sure what time it is."

"Time for you to get a watch." Helga muttered.

Arnold rolled his eyes and turned in his seat toward the older couple across the aisle. "Excuse me, do either of you have the time?"

Yutaka nodded and smiled. "Yep!" He looked at his watch. "It's 12:37."

"Okay, thank you." Arnold smiled back. "Um, do you know when we'll get to Shiranami?"

"In about an hour, I believe." Said Naomi.

"Oh joy. An hour." Helga muttered under her breath, crossing her arms petulantly. "Wonderful."

All of a sudden, the train began to slow down. Not gradually, but really slow down, as if it were soon to come to a stop. But that was impossible. They were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest and open landscape with no town or train station in sight. All of the passengers, though not panicking, were all confused and a bit alarmed.

"Arnold...what's going on?" Helga suddenly said, her eyes growing wide with fright, unconsciously reaching for his hand.

"I don't know." Arnold replied, looking out toward the window and then around the train. He felt Helga's hand hold his, but didn't think of it further. Instead, he held it in his own to offer comfort and assurance. "I think we're stopping."

"Doi! Of course we are! That's what I'm wondering!" Helga snapped more out of fright than anger. "Something's wrong! What if we were detached from the engine or something? Or worse?"

"I'll go see what's going on." Yutaka said. "Naomi, you go and warn the conductor, will you?"

"I will, darling." Naomi said with a nod.

The couple got up and shared a quick kiss before departing in the opposite directions of the car. For a fleeting moment, Helga felt herself inwardly smile as she thought that those two could be her and Arnold someday, given how they were both blonde, despite the graying, and Yutaka had green eyes while Naomi had blue eyes. Yutaka was just missing the football-shaped head.

Arnold felt Helga trembling lightly beside him and her grip tighten on his hand. He entertwined their fingers unconsciously, his eyes trained down the aisle where Yutaka had gone. Something was wrong, he could feel it, and he knew Helga did, too. But what? What was going on?

After a few minutes, Yutaka returned, looking horrified and stricken with shock, breathing hard.

"Oh-Oh my GOD! Someone...they....someone murdered the engineer! He's dead! Whoever did it is probably on the train on the outside!"

"WHAT?!" Helga screamed in shock, her eyes wide with horror. She could not believe that they were just feet away from someone who had been MURDERED. She grabbed onto Arnold tightly, more scared than she'd ever been in her entire life. That time being stranded on the subway paled in comparison to this. "Arnold, Arnold we have to get off this train NOW! Someone just got killed!"

"H-Helga, we-" Arnold uttered, but wasn't sure what he could say about all this. He was shocked too, having never been in the same area of someone getting killed before. He too grabbed onto Helga, mostly out of instinct, fear, and also, protection.

"Okay okay, now everyone, let's stay calm!" Yutaka said. "It's a bad situation, but we're going to have to stay calm and try to get through this. Okay, is there anyone who can drive a train? Anyone at all?"

All the passengers in the car looked at one another, all of which confirming that they didn't.

"Okay." Yutaka said, trying to keep calm himself. "All right, I'll just ask my wife if she can ask any of the other passengers in the other cars. Perhaps they might know if-"

"Oh my God! Someone is driving the train engine away detached from the cars!" Someone suddenly shouted.

All the passengers looked out the left side windows, and sure enough, far ahead was a curvature in the tracks, and whoever had hijacked the engine was now driving it away very fast. The murderer, or murderers, must have had detached the engine from the passenger and cargo cars after Yutaka had returned from discovering the murdered engineer.

"We're going to die!" One of the passengers yelled.

"We're all gonna die!"

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Helga screamed, holding onto Arnold tighter. Realizing what this meant, she grabbed his shoulders, making him face her. "Arnold, before we die, I have to tell you now that I love you! I lied when I took it back after we saved the neighbourhood! I love you! I love you, Arnold! I've always loved you, I don't hate you, don't ever think that!"

Despite that he nearly expected that because of the situation at hand, he did now see that there WAS a chance for them all to escape this and save themselves, but now hearing Helga confess for the second time, even though he knew she loved him, was still pretty shocking in itself and seemed to add to the intensity of what was going on.

He had to do something, he had to calm her down.

"H-Helga...I...." Arnold uttered, blushing a bit. "C-Calm down, we can get out of this, you don't have to-"

"Arnold, you darling angel, I love how you can look at the bright side even in the worst of times, but we're dying now and I refuse to let you die without knowing how I truly feel!" She raised the armrest separating their seats and pulled him to her. "Arnold my love, kiss me! Kiss me one last time!"

"Helga, we can get out of-mmmmmm!!"

His eyes went wide to the size of dinner plates as Helga's lips crashed onto his, for now the seventh time now. Six in her doing, while the seventh had been HIS initiation and was not to her knowledge. By now Arnold could feel himself powerless to stop her, she was too strong, and as strange as it sounded, this kiss had more of an effect on him than the others did. Except for probably the one from this morning when he had kissed her while she slept. Now, he had no idea what to think.

There was no way he could ever kiss another girl and not think of her. Who really at her age kissed someone she liked, let alone with so much passion and longing? All of her kisses had never failed to make him breathless, and if that wasn't a great kiss, he didn't know what was. She kissed him like she meant it. Was that why he seemed to find himself liking it? Could that have been in it? Either way, he could no longer deny that she was an amazing kisser, despite having no one to compare it too.

Come to think of it, did he even WANT to compare it? He wasn't so sure. He knew now that kissing another girl was NOT going to be the same as kissing Helga.

It made him wonder then. Will he EVER be able to kiss another girl without comparing it to how Helga kisses? Wait, why was he even thinking that? It was too early to think of it that way!

_If it is too early...then what could possibly be better than this?_ Arnold thought, still frozen in Helga's tight embrace as she kissed him feverishly. His heart was pounding, a force of electric sparks were coursing through him, and for a moment, he puckered his lips against hers in an act of recipocration, placing a hand on her shoulder. He could feel the fingers of one hand tangle tightly into his hair, tears on her cheeks and she kissed him, kissed him and kissed him, his little reciprocation not lost on her.

_Wait, what am I doing?! I can't let her kiss me like this! I have a plan to get us out of here! _

All of the passengers in the car were watching them now, in silence, some staring with utmost disaproval, some shaking their heads, others were gleeful, most especially Yutaka and Naomi, who had just now come back from seeing the conductor. The older couple chuckled softly behind their hands as they watched the rather passionate kiss between both kids.

It was probably about two minutes before Helga finally pulled away when the lack of oxygen was screaming at her. She panted breathlessly, and looked down at her love, seeing that he too was breathless, and staring up at her, his green eyes wide. She had to admit, it was kind of fun to take him by surprise like this, especially since he didn't fight her this time. Sure, he reciprocated just a little, maybe not a full fledged response, but still a response.

"H-Helga..." Arnold finally uttered, trying to catch his breath. "It's okay, we're not going to die. I-I have a plan...to get us out of here."

Oh no, not this again! Helga cursed herself for not hearing him out BEFORE she humiliated herself in front of all these people. Once more, she passionately confessed she loved him, kissed him, and was once again being pushed aside because of something else they had to do first!

"Oh no you don't, football head! We're taking this outside! Grab your bag, come on!"

Before he could respond, she grabbed her bag, then him by the wrist and yanked him off down the aisle just as he grabbed his bag and was dragged outside. The passengers watched them curiously as they went outside and peered out the windows at them.

"Why did you go and make me do that?! Why didn't you say anything before?!"

"I tried to! But you kissed me and cut me off before I could! It wasn't as if I asked you to kiss me!"

"That's the problem! You're too YOU! I take one look at you and it makes me want to kiss you! Darn it Arnold, I hate what you do to me!" Helga yelled, her hands on her hips.

"So you admit it then?" Arnold's eyes narrowed slightly as he crossed his arms. "You were telling the truth, weren't you? It wasn't just the heat of the moment."

"Doi! Of course it was the heat of the moment! But that doesn't mean that I didn't mean what I said!"

"Then Helga...why are you keeping it such a huge secret?" Arnold softened a little bit. "You don't have to be afraid to tell me these things. If you like me...you know, like me like me, it's okay."

"Okay?! OKAY?! You football headed moron, it's NOT! Do you have any idea what that could do to my reputation?! The kids at school will walk all over me! I can't let them think I'm a doormat!" Helga yelled.

Arnold studied her, and decided to take a daring step. "Helga...is that the only reason? Do you keep it a secret from me because you're afraid I won't love you back? I mean, if it is, then I can understand that. I can see why you would hesitate in telling me."

"Stop it, just shut up! It doesn't matter anymore! Let's just pretend it never happened, we can get past this, and we'll be just fine."

"No. That's not going to work this time. I would never hold it against you, you may not think much of yourself, but you are still a human being and that doesn't stop you from having feelings for someone. I understand you...well, love me and all, and I won't make you feel bad for it, that's not who I am."

Tears were beginning to pool in her eyes, and she turned away from him, on the verge of crying.

"Shut up, football head! I don't want to hear one of your rejection and letting me down nicely speeches! I don't want to hear it! Just shut up! I'm going to Shiranami on foot!"

Before he could do or say anything, Helga ran off into the woods up ahead, tears now running down her face.

Fear and horror struck Arnold, and before he could stop himself, he ran after her. She would never survive out here alone! The forest up ahead looked pretty dense and thick, who knows what could have been out there. She was fast, and he had to hurry before he lost sight of her. It wasn't long before she disappeared into the trees, and Arnold had no choice but to into the forest too. They were going to get lost, he knew it. But he had to stop her first!

"Helga! Helga, wait! Please, wait!"

But she didn't stop. She kept running, and running, with no signs of slowing down. This made Arnold worried, what if she hurt herself? What if there were wild animals? Or...

"_It's a very dangerous world out there, crawling with enemy ninjas and spies." _Arnold gulped as he remembered the warnings from Orivia's letter. _"They will not exercise their strength just because you're kids. They will KILL you if given the chance. Don't give them that chance. Just keep each other safe and try to stay on the main roads."_

This wasn't looking good. Helga was running away, possibly into danger, and they were far from any of the main roads indicated on the map, as well as civilization on top of that. They were stranded to say the last. And what if there really were ninjas and spies lurking in the shadows?

He shook his head frantically, trying not to think about that. He had to catch up to her, calm her down, and get them out of this forest. This had DANGER written all over it! Two kids, alone, in the middle of nowhere, perfect potential targets.

"Helga! Stop! We shouldn't be out here! There could be dangerous ninjas hiding in the shadows! Stop, Helga! Stop! Please!"

She still didn't listen. She ran, ran and ran further into the forest, it was hard to even pinpoint a way out by now as they ventured deeper.

Right then he froze and his face was stricken with terorr. "HELGA! BEHIND YOU!"

Up ahead where Helga was, she turned around just in time to find a tall ninja, likely a rogue, making a move to grab her. She yelled out in fright and ducked away from him.

"Get back here, you brat!" The ninja snarled.

"As if I would, bucko!" Helga got into a fighting stance, her fists ready. "Come any closer to me and you'll have to deal with Old Betsy!"

"HA! You've got nothing on me you little brat!" The ninja cackled, and made a few Chinese New Year symbols with his hands, and turned his head toward the trees. "Come and get 'em, boys!"

On cue, several ninjas, dressed identically to this one, all came out of the trees, bushes and shadows, surrounding them.

"Now come along and maybe we won't hurt you, little girl..." The first ninja said, grabbing her by the arm in a swift move.

The action struck a nerve in Arnold that he'd never felt before, but before he could even think to stop himself, he stepped forward.

"Hey! Leave her alone you big jerk!"

"Or what, you big-headed kid?" The ninja smirked. "You've got nothing on me! Take the short one with the strange head, Hiro."

"Heh heh, sure thing, boss!" Said the one named Hiro, now running in toward Arnold.

Although they were all much swifter and advanced past his basic karate skills, he knew he had to put them to use as SOME kind of defence! It was better than nothing, right?

Hiro moved in swiftly, as if in a blur, and Arnold stood back and struck him with a karate chop to his side, making Hiro stumble back a little. Arnold felt a sense of relief run through him, but before he could do anything else, a pair of strong arms got him from behind, lifting him off the ground. Another ninja had snuck up on him from behind while he was concentrating on Hiro, he realized.

"Hahahahaha! What's wrong, kid? Too much from awesome ninjas like us?"

"Let go of him!" Helga yelled, wrenching her arm from the boss ninja and running toward the ninja holding Arnold. "Or I'll make you REGRET it!"

"Helga no! Get out of here, save yourself!" Arnold cried. "Don't hurt her! Let her go!"

"You're in no position to call the shots here, kid." Said Hiro with a smirk. "You're comin' with us. Knock him out, Jinenji."

The ninja holding Arnold, Jinenji, swiftly performed a karate chop his own on the nape of Arnold's neck, and instantly he fell unconscious.

"ARNOLD!" Helga screamed in despair, and then grew even angrier. "Okay that IS IT! No more miss nice girl! Just you try and hurt him again you creeps!"

"Sorry kid, but you ain't got nothin' on us!" Hiro laughed, running to her and grabbing her head. "If you want your little boyfriend back... You'll have to find us first! Toodles, you damn brat."

He punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and she doubled over, cluthing her gut.

"Let's go, boys." Said the boss of the ninjas. "We got him."

"Right, boss!" Said another ninja.

"N-!"

Helga didn't even get to utter a protest as all the ninjas seemed to disappear in a flash within the forest, with Arnold. All she could do was watch in despair, feeling numb all over and stricken with grief. A blank, stricken look came to her face as she trembled, holding her stomach in pain, but not even feeling the pain. Witnessing the one she loved become man-handled and kidnapped was just too much for her, topped with the entire situation at hand they were facing. Especially since now she felt powerless to stop them.

She barely even had time to grieve and cry when Hiro grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, lifting her off a few feet above the ground, smirking.

"What's wrong, brat? You scared? You should be, you never dealt with a ninja like me before!" He produced a weapon, which she saw was a kunai knife. "At least now you shut up. Never much liked you noisy kids..."

Though scared, Helga put on her fiercest glare. "If you touch a single hair on Arnold's head, I swear I will make you regret it..."

"How? Please, like the boss said, you're nothing but a big talking little brat. Maybe I ought to teach you a little lesson in dealing with an awesome ninja like me, you damn little whore." Hiro smirked and scraped the blade of the kunai across her cheek, drawing a bit of blood in a perfect straight line, and laughed as she winced and whimpered lightly. "Fucking brat."

He threw her to the ground, hitting her back against the trunk of a tree. She scrambled to her knees, trying to crawl away, but he immediately came to her and kicked her in the side, making her yelp in pain.

"You like that? Oh yes you do, you fucking little kid whore!" Hiro laughed, and kicked her again. "Fuck you, damn kid! I'll teach you to mess with me!"

Helga clutched her bruised but thankfully not broken ribs and tried to move away again, fearing for her life and especially Arnold's. She'd never felt so scared and so alone in her entire life. She wanted to cry, but she dared not.

"Oh yeah, crawl away like the scared little bitch that you are!" Hiro cackled, and turned around, only to then meet with an unexpected surprise.

Someone he had not seen come into the scene was now standing before him. He only had time to register a pair of deadly eyes before the long blade of a weapon was suddenly thrust into his gut and he was thrown back against a tree with the force of the attack, pinning him to it.

Helga watched in shock and horror as someone, probably another ninja, this time a young woman, had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Hiro in the gut with a machete, pinning him to a nearby tree, with the blood-soaked tip portruding out on the other side of the trunk. It reminded her of the dream-sequence first kill in _Freddy VS Jason_, except this woman was not exactly a hulking, decaying, walking corpse wearing a Hockey mask. Unsure if she had just been saved, or was to be killed after this girl got her one obstacle out of the way, she could not believe that she had just witnessed someone getting brutally killed. Right in front of her eyes, with a machete, in cold blood, seeming to have no feeling at all.

The woman withdrew the machete from her victim, watching it listlessly as the now dead body fell to the ground. Her eyes then fell onto Helga, and she swiftly approached her, pointing her machete down toward her, not uttering a single word.

Despite the situation, she looked up at the terrifying woman to take her in for a moment. She was fairly tall, at an average height for a girl, looking like she should be in college, around 18 or 19. She had medium length brown hair, with two unruly bangs framing each side of her face, and a bang across her forehead that was shaped like an upside down marine dorsal fin. Her eyes were blue, and trained set on her, cold and deadly, like a soldier. She wore a dark pink short-sleeved kimono that lengthened to her thighs with a lighter pink trim, green shorts and dark pink sandals much like ones she'd seen worn by ninjas. Around her neck was a Shinobi forehead protector, only this one bore the symbol of what looked like two rocks, and had a scratch mark across it, and on her head was a bright red headband.

The young woman stood, unmoving, her machete pointed down at her, those deadly blue eyes boring into her own, and boy if she thought she could look deadly herself, this was nothing compared to how this girl looked!

Her eyes squeezed shut, waiting for it all to end.

_Arnold...my love, my dearest angel...I'm so sorry I couldn't save you... I was powerless to stop your kidnapers, and I was weak...I'm sorry, my darling...just know that I love you...and I will wait for you..._


	12. Amazement and Wonder

**And here we go, folks. :D We are now about to bring in the other two peeps who will be involved in this mess. X3 So...yay?**

**I said this before, and I shall say it again, thank you all very much! :) I appreciate you all taking the time to read this. Your support is greatly taken into appreciation. :D Always.**

**Some chapters ARE going to be short, like this one, but no worry, I'm pretty certain they'll vary from time to time. :)**

**You all know the disclaimer by now. Casana is mine, just so you know.**

**-=-=-=-=-**

Nothing came. There was only silence. Had the girl retreated? Or was she just that quiet?

Cracking an eye open, Helga looked up to see that the girl was still there, though she now stood in a more tense, defensive stance as opposed to a combat stance, and had lowered the blood-soiled machete, her arms now limp at her sides, but her blue eyes were still trained on her. Relieved as she was, she knew she had to keep her guard up, just in case. After all, that same ninja girl had just killed someone. You could never be too careful around those types.

Still, defiance and the Pataki blood inside was starting to get to her then, and before she could stop herself in fear of antagonizing the possible enemy, she managed to talk.

"Sheesh, if you're going to kill me, can't you at least do me a favour and get it over with?! Haven't I gone through enough?! Come on! If you want to kill me so much, you would have done it already! That's a bad thing about most villains, they don't kill their enemies right off! Why else would James Bond always triumph?"

The ninja girl seemed surprised, and then her expression softened some, though she still looked suspicious, but more uncertain than anything. "...You're not affiliated with anyone?" Her voice was soft, completely betraying the deadly combat stare in her eyes just moments ago.

"Uh, hello? I'm nine years old, I was just practically beaten within an inch of my life by a gang of ninjas who even I with my own set of Jiu-Jutsu couldn't even take on! So no, I'm not with some fancy-pants mafia gang, sister. Do I look I could be any use to those big shot ninjas out there?!" Helga said indignantly before she could stop herself.

What seemed to be a look of relief came across the brunette's face. "Oh... All right, I assumed that, but you can never be too careful. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that."

She took a cloth out of a pack that was straped around at her back and proceeded to wipe the blood off her machete with it. She looked at Helga again then.

"What is your name?"

Glad she wasn't about to kill her, Helga managed to sit up straight, though she kept her guard up just in case. "Helga. Helga G. Pataki."

"Helga." The ninja girl repeated, and nodded. "That's a nice name. I'm Casana. Casana Kusabana." A strange look came to her eyes then, averting her gaze back to her weapon as she wiped it clean.

Confused by that, but deciding not to question it, Helga just gave a nod. Casana was an interesting name, she had to admit. It was pretty, and unique. "Okay, fine. Casana it is then. Why'd you kill that ninja?"

"As suspicious and apprehensive as I was, I do have to admit that someone beating a child is a parasite to society. Besides, he was of the enemy ninja my...well, partner and I have been encountering often." Casana replied, and sheathed her machete, which was strapped to the back of her pink sash tied around her waist, holding her kimono closed. "Why are you out here all by yourself? Where are your parents?"

Her questions struck a chord in Helga's mind, and she just now remembered the true roots of her fear and despair. Arnold! He was still out there, having been kidnapped by these thugs. What if he would get hurt? Or worse, killed? She couldn't let that happen! But what could she do? She was powerless to stop them, and would probably never find them. She was just a kid. These were strangely powerful but cowardly ninjas. But she couldn't sit there! He was her beloved, and she had to save him! His safety was the most important aspect of this entire situation in being stuck in a whole new world. And now that safety was shattered.

It was times like this she deeply regretted not being nicer to him.

Then an idea came to her.

"That doesn't matter now!" Helga managed to shakily stand. "Those ninjas kidnapped my...my....my...friend!"

Casana's eyes widened. "They did? They kidnapped your friend?" She went over to Helga to steady her. "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

"YES, they got a few beatings into me, but never mind! You have to help me get him back! Arnold is in trouble! He'd never survive them alone!" Helga cried, not even caring what she was saying or doing. "You have to help me!"

The older girl opened her mouth to speak, but then suddenly, a flash of yellow and black came from the trees, landing down beside her, revealing to be a tall young man around Casana's age.

"What happened? Did they get away?" He asked her then. "I was fighting off one of them and then he suddenly retreated."

"I knew it." Casana said, frowning and biting her lip. "Well we have a bit of a problem here, too."

That was when he noticed Helga, and stared at her. "Hey, who's the kid?"

"What's it to you, bucko?" Helga snapped. Despite that, she took a look at the newcomer with curiosity.

He was fairly tall, with long blonde hair, really long, a lot longer than what most guys would have, even in today's standards. Part of it was up in a ponytail, while the rest was down. Some strands of it hid the left side of his face, for whatever reason. He had blue eyes, which had a grayer tint to them and were slimmer than Casana's, with thick eyelashes. He had a burgundy shirt with dark grey trousers, a utility belt with a large zipper pack on either side of his waist, and over it all wore a high-collared black cloak with red clouds printed on it, opened in the front. She had to admit, he was a hottie.

"She's not with anyone." Casana said to the blonde boy. "She's lost, and the thugs we were after just kidnapped her friend. We should help her out."

"You and your altruism..." The blonde said, shaking his head. "How do we even know she's not secretly working for some enemy ninja from home trying to take us down? No one would ever suspect a kid."

"Hey! I'm right here, buddy!" Helga snarled then, stepping up. "And for your information, I happen to be nine years old, and while I am capable of kicking your butt, I am indeed LOST IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WHILE MY FRIEND WAS JUST KIDNAPPED RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES WITH NO WAY FOR ME TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT WITHOUT MESSING UP!" She yelled.

The blonde was taken aback for a moment, but gave a little smirk. "Wow, for a kid you sure are feisty and fiery."

"We should help." Casana then intervened. "We're after these guys anyway, so I think it could be beneficial, anyway." She looked back at Helga. "What does your friend-Arnold, right?-look like?"

"He's short, has a football-shaped head, blonde hair that kind of sticks up on his head in all directions, green eyes, wears a little blue cap on his head about this big, and when last seen, he was wearing a teal sweater with the shirttails of a red and yellow plaid shirt sticking out, jeans, and black shoes." Helga thought about showing them a clear photo of him, but all she had was her locket, and she was NOT about to blatantly reveal that she loved him. "He's hard to miss."

"Do you have a photo of him on hand? That'd really help."

Her eyes widened. Uh-oh. She was afraid of that. No! She couldn't let them see she loved him!

_Then again, that Casana girl IS willing to help me...even if her friend there doesn't seem to trust me...ugh, darn it! I may as well, I'll just make sure they don't know I love him!_

"Yeah." Helga said, and hesitated, taking out her locket. "This isn't mine, by the way. It's his grandfather's...or something." She held it out to them. "So yeah, this is Arnold."

"He's cute." Casana remarked, looking over the photo. "Okay, I don't think the kidnappers could have gone far, it should be easy to track them down. I'll go after them, and try to-"

"Hold your horses there, Casana." The blonde boy cut her off, gently taking her upraised wrist. "You're a medic, and that Helga girl here needs to be healed. You should stay here and look after her, I'll go and get that Arnold kid."

"Deidara, it's okay, I'll go after them." Casana protested, though made no move to remove his grip. "Besides, you were the one skeptical in the first place."

"Still am. But whatever, I know I can't ignore you when you get into your 'Oh no I have to help this poor creature or person' phases." The boy, Deidara, replied as he shook his head. "You look after her. I'll go track down those thugs, it'll be a piece of cake."

Casana opened her mouth to argue, but sighed in defeat. "All right, fine."

A smirk crossed his face and he let go of her wrist, then placed his hand on her waist, making her cheeks turn bright pink. "I knew you'd see it my way. So where should we meet back up after I get him?"

"Um..." Casana paused a moment, thinking it over. "Meet us over at Lake Monoke near the pass on the northern side in the Wind Country. It'll be safer there, just so as long Sand Village ninjas aren't out and about in that area. We'll go there. ...And be careful, okay? Please don't do anything reckless."

Helga watched the exchange between the two of them, seeming to be nonchalant, but deep down, she was quite curious. They appeared to be nothing more than friends, partners in this ninja business apparently, and yet, there seemed to be something else, mostly on how Casana seemed to react around him. She guessed for a moment that she was easily flustered, but she seemed very comfortable with him, and yet intimate contact seemed to make her blush. Ohhhh... It struck her then.

_Well how do you like that, she has a crush on him!_ Helga thought, looking on with one side of her eyebrow raised slightly.

"Fine then. Don't worry yourself, I'll show them what art is truly about." Deidara released her and his gaze became serious. "This could take a while. But it's no problem."

Casana nodded. "All right. You'd better get going, you could make good time before dark, we'll head off, too."

"Piece of cake. I'll see you later." He winked at her, and then leaped off into the trees and out of sight.

Looking off after him a few moments, Casana exhaled and turned back to Helga, now looking concerned. "Are you sure you're all right? You're bleeding a bit."

"I'm fine." Helga said indingnantly, and clutched at her side painfully.

Casana frowned and shook her head, going over to the shorter girl and gently sitting her down on the grass. "No, you're not. It's okay, I'll heal you, and you'll be fine. Hold still."

Helga watched in fascination as a strange, green fire-like corosion surrounded Casana's hands, and she lay them upon her sides and on her stomach. A soothing, warm and cooling sensation washed over her, feeling as if the pain was melting away, her wounds healing up. She barely felt any pain at all now, as if it were fading. What was going on? Was she some kind of a magical entity? Whatever it was, it was working. It felt better than what any kind of pain killer could do.

The brunette then removed her hands from her stomach and sides, applied light pressure along her neck, shoulders, and then the green fire seemed to disappear from her hands. She reached into her pack and took out a cloth, and a water bottle. She dampened the cloth a bit, and wiped the dirt and traces of blood on her face, then took out a small white bandage piece, laying it on the cut on Helga's face, sticking it in place with some tape.

She then studied Helga, gently checking her vital areas and applying light pressure to make sure nothing was broken or dislocated, and then let her go.

"Okay, you should be fine now. How do you feel?"

"Um...better." Helga admitted, looking up at her with amazement. "H-How'd you do all that? I mean, with that green firey-like stuff."

Casana smiled. "Chakra. I'm a medic ninja as well as a fighter, I have acquired the skills to heal and create antidotes for pain and dress wounds, and I also can deliver babies." Off her confused look, she went on. "But I guess I can explain it better to you once we reach the safe point, if you're curious."

"Well doi, of course I want to know what this is about! It's like magic or something!"

"...Magic? Oh... Helga, you're not quite familiar with the ways of the ninja, are you?"

"I know a thing or two." Helga crossed her arms and stared at her. "But you ninjas here seem to take it to a whole new weird rule-breaking perspective."

"Rule-breaking?" Casana raised an eyebrow, but looked amused. "Why is that?"

"You wear very innapropriate clothing, since ninjas are masters of stealth and tend to wear black skin-tight clothes, including head gear that hides their faces except their eyes, and weilding weapons and relying on various forms of martial arts. And yet somehow you can do magic."

"It's not magic, Helga." Casana said sincerely. "It's not that simple. Not to worry though, it'll all come clear to you eventually. I'll explain it as best as I can. But for now, we should get out of here and head for the safe point, designated location, and hurry before darkness falls."

But then, her expression changed and she frowned, tensing up. Before Helga could question her curiosity, three generic ninjas that looked to be from before, since they adorned the same clothing-grey shirts, black pants, and black scarf belts-and the same forehead protectors with a strange symbol, which was a set of triangles that resembled-to Helga-the Triforce from the _Legend of Zelda_ games. Obviously they had come back for more, and for a fleeting moment, a twinge of fear struck through Helga, but it was immediately gone the moment she saw what happened next.

Just as the dirty blonde-haired Ninja made a move toward Casana from the left, she blocked his oncoming fist with her arm and then kicked the red-haired ninja coming at her from the right in the solar replux, making him double over. The black-haired ninja coming at her from behind attempted to stab her in the back with a kunai, but she immediately elbowed him in the gut, upper cut him, and then backhanded him. She leaped into the air between the two ninjas at her sides, extending her legs and kicking them in the jaws, though not hard enough to break them. They faltered, falling back onto the ground.

The black-haired ninja grabbed her in a headlock from behind, but she stepped on his foot roughly and caused him to release her. She turned around and threw a punch to his nose. He grabbed her fist and punched her in the cheek. She then kneed him in the groin and he doubled over. The other two henchmen came at her from behind on either side, but she threw up her fists and backhanded them both.

They all stood up after a few moments, ready to go at her again, but this time vines rose out from the ground, surrounding her, and making Helga fall over in shock and amazement. The vines grabbed onto the ninjas, lifting them into the air and binding their bodies to prevent movement and escape, all but one, the dark-haired one. Casana went to him and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground to her level.

"All right, who are you working for?!" Casana snarled at him. "You're associated with those other ninjas from earlier, aren't you?!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..." Said the ninja, blood running from his nose.

"Don't lie to me." Casana said venomously. and shoved him against a nearby tree. "Who are you working for, and where is your headquarters? Now tell me."

"As if I'd tell you, bitch." The ninja spat.

Casana narrowed her eyes dangerously. "That wasn't a request. I could end your life right now...but I know that's stupid, because then I would never get the information I want. However, I can turn to your two partners here and ask them. Ridding you won't matter to me in the long run. So, it's your choice. I will get the information out of you either way. Because I have the eyes that can see into the depths of your mind."

"You don't scare me, you wretched _Kusabana_..." The ninja said her surname with contempt, which confused Helga. What was so important about her last name?

The brunette stood, unmoving, narrowing her eyes more. "Just try and say that again, you worthless piece of scum. _Akumu Nentougan_!"

Helga watched in fascination and in horror as she saw Casana's _literally_ change colour from blue to bright pink, with the pupils in the shape of a dark, fiery flame. She looked into the ninja's eyes, and saw that he now looked terrified, then his eyes closed and he fell limp under her grip. What had just happened?!

"You two." Casana then said, shifting her attention to the ninjas now hung in the air by her vines. Her eyes still remained pink, but this time, now had tiny pupils with four squiggled lines going toward them in diagonal lines. She studied them both for a moment, and gave a smug smirk before her eyes reverted back to their normal blue colour. "Thank you for handing over all the information I needed... most especially stuff about yourselves."

She then turned back to Helga and walked back over to her, smiling sheepishly. "I'm so sorry you had to see all of that. But I know what I need to know now, and we have to get out of here." She said apologetically.

"So wait, you know who they are? And where they could have taken Arnold?" Helga asked hopefully, though wondering what the hell had just happened and how she possibly knew all of this just by looking at the ninjas, and what she had done to the other guy.

Casana nodded. "Yes. Now come on. I'll get us out of here and to a safe location for the time being. Here, get on my back." She crouched low on the grass to allow her to climb on.

Hesitating, Helga figured she had no other option. Hopefully she would tell her about what this was all about and what had happened later on, she really wanted to know. She felt amazed and terrified at the same time, something she'd never felt so strongly before. She went over to her, and climbed onto her back, holding onto her shoulders tightly as Casana hooked her arms around Helga's legs and stood up.

"All right, now hold on tight, Helga."

Expecting her to walk off away into the woods, she was caught WAY off guard when the older girl ran off deep into the woods at an incredible speed, so fast that the woods around them were a huge blurr! She then leaped, probably about twenty or thirty feet high, up into the trees, leaping expertly across from one branch to the next. Helga was, once more, amazed and terried, trying to hold in her screaming as she yelped loudly, holding onto Casana for dear life.


	13. Confessions of a Teenage Ninja

**Hey guys. :D I wanted to share with you this wonderful cover art, which was collaborated between my friend Zabukawaii of deviantART and I. She drew it, I coloured it. http: // .com / art / The- Ninja- Story - cover- collab – 157072080 (Just remove the spaces)**

**Now then, let's be off with the story. :D**

**-=-=-=-**

"Are you all right, Helga?" Casana questioned after a while, glancing at the girl over her shoulder. "Do you need me to stop?"

"Stop? Are you kidding me?! I'm having a blast!" Helga declared. "How are you even doing this, no human could run or jump like this!"

Casana smiled, amused by how much fun she thought it was. "It's part of being a ninja, Helga. Using the energy and power of your chakra to enhance your agility and jump as well. You probably don't know about chakra, do you?"

"I learned a thing or two about it from my friend Phoebe. Chakra is a concept that refers to wheel-like fortices, said to be centre forces. It's all considered to be the focal points for the reception of transmitted energies. In all kinds of cultures, like India, China, and Tibet. Another theory, practiced by Western cultures that dates back to the 1940's, is the seven points of chakra. The Crown Chakra, the Brow Chakra, the Throat Chakra, the Heart Chakra, the Solar Plexus Chakra, the Sacral Chakra, and the Base Chakra. They're from Hindu translations but man I can't remember what the Indian terms were for the life of me." Helga explained nonchalantly. "But pretty much, it's some kind of spiritual energy study that we use in a lot of cultures back home. Pretty much everyone has a different view and use on how chakra works, I guess."

"Ah... You do seem to have a different view on chakra, I see. Well you are correct, that is how it goes in most villages and cultures outside the Shinobi villages." Casana nodded, taking this information in. She paused on a large branch, and then leaped for another tree, and then another. "I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. You're very articulate for a nine year old. I take it you read and study a lot?"

"Eh, you know. Sometimes I got nothing better to do." Helga shrugged, trying to ward off the subject. "Maybe I'm a new wave."

Casana giggled. "Well, I suppose I can't blame you. I had to do the same when I was nine. I became a Genin at nine years old, actually."

"Ge...nin?" Helga repeated, raising one side of her eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Entry-level ninja." Casana elaborated. "Ninjas of the Great Five Shinobi Villages all have a few ranks. You start at the Academy for a while, to study and learn some of the basics of becoming a ninja. The ranks of the ninja are Genin, Chuunin, and Jounin, and then there's the elite force. The customs and rules for gaining up a rank vary from village to village, but it's pretty straight forward. You start off, get stronger, and you move up. The ranks are also to determine the level of missions that ninjas embark and endure. The levels are D, C, B, A, and S, lowest to highest. D ranked missions are done as a Genin, they're more physical labour and doing little odd jobs for the villagefolk."

"How exciting. Adventure-ho." Helga rolled her eyes.

"That's true, but it is part of getting to know how the world works, things you have to do in case you get stuck...you know, you're stranded and you have no money, and you come across a village and you offer services to make some cash. You know, that kind of thing. And in general, Genin are just kids, so of course they won't inflict the more dangerous missions. C-Ranked missions are sometimes done by more experienced Genin, and are also done by Chuunin as well. C-Ranks generally do have combat resulting in injury, and are usually missions that involve guarding someone, gathering background information, or capturing and suppressing wild animals. B-ranked missions are more intense, given to more experienced Chuunin. They involve combat with other ninjas, espionage, killing other ninjas and guarding people. A-ranked missions are assigned to Jounin, and they concern village or state-level matters, trends, among other things. Guarding VIP's, repressing ninjas forces...it's real intense, you know."

"And the S-rank?"

"...." Casana faced ahead, so the younger girl wouldn't see the strange look that came to her eyes. "S-ranked are assigned to experienced jounin, mostly the elite forces of the village. Assassinating VIP's, transporting highly classified documents and all that. Not to mention...dealing with the most dangerous, wanted, and deadly of ninja. ...Along that, are the ANBU Black Ops."

"The ANBU Black Ops?"

"Also known as _Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokusho Butai, or_ _Special Assassination and Tactical Squad_.They are the elite ninja forces of the villages, top ranked, taking orders directly from the respective Kage. They perform special, high-level missions, such as assassination and torture. By the Kage, the ANBU shinobi are hand picked especially for their skills and special abilities. Also among ninjas, there are medics, such as myself, who often work on the inside, or will travel along in the three-man squads of the ninjas. Obviously, they do extensive research and make and find new medicines and cures for various ailments and whatnot."

"...Fascinating." Helga murmured honestly.

And it was. It was something you would likely find in one of those Japanese samurai or ninja movies, but none the less, very interesting, and very REAL here. It all sounded so intense, dangerous, and yet, exciting and adventurous. Upon remembering the warnings and what she'd heard about the ninja world here before, it made sense. The ninja world was fascinating, and terrifying all at once.

"I guess it can be, in a way." Casana agreed. "It's very dangerous and intense...but I guess if you look at it from all angles, it's very exciting and full of adventure. Plus, you sometimes get to travel to all these new and exotic places. Kind of makes it seem like a vacation, eh?"

"So I've heard." Said Helga. "So what's your story? You know, you're a ninja, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I noticed you got one of those ninja...thingies, forehead protectors, and it's a different village. And given your skills, I guess you're high on the ranks. You and that guy you were with have the same one, so you guys from the same place?"

"Yes, we are. We are shinobi from Iwagakure, or also known to be, the Village Hidden in the Stones. Located in the Earth Country, and is surrounded by mountains, to act as a barrier, you know?"

"Wow." Helga's eyes went wide with interest. "So what rank are you guys? Are you on a mission right now?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Casana remarked, glancing at her. "You ought to know that shinobi do have secrets."

"Hey, you told me a lot of things already. And plus, well, doi, I'm curious. Come on, indulge me. I'm sure it can't hurt to reveal basic info. I guess I know now that shinobi have secrets, not like I'm asking for them."

"No, I suppose not." Casana looked ahead again.

"And hey, did an accident happen to your forehead protector thingy? There's a scratch through it. Other ninjas I've seen didn't have those scratch cracks."

Casana gave a sigh, and came to a clearing with a watering hole. She stopped, and gently let Helga down onto the ground. She avoided her gaze, and sat down on the grass near the shore. Perplexed, Helga did too, staring at her.

"...Well, I should warn you, I'm not quite who you think I am." Casana said, looking at her lap. "...The scratch mark across my forehead protector is actually the symbol of being a missing nin. Basically cutting all ties with one's previous shinobi village affiliations. I'm a missing nin. Both Deidara and I are."

Now that was new.

For what seemed like hours, Helga stared, surprised and shocked, unsure of what to think then. It was not at all what she expected, given her previous actions from before. Missing nins sounded like rebels or even bad criminals, but Casana seemed like a good, dutiful ninja with good skill and altruism at the same time, so no wonder it was so unexpected to hear such a thing. She was even more curious now, wondering what her story was and how it all happened. Then again, she didn't want to have her force out something she wasn't comfortable with, and she could relate to that, given her inner most secrets.

Then again, maybe she could gently nudge her for information. Looking at her then, she seemed ashamed of what she'd said, quite obviously not proud of being who she was. That was understandable, sometimes in life you ended up in a way you're not proud of.

"Well...I have to say, that's pretty surprising." Helga admitted. "Um, ya know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I-I know what it's like..." She looked away. "I mean, I'm not like a missing nin or anything, but you know, I know how it feels to have secrets and you may not be exactly proud of them, or something."

Casana perked, and looked at Helga was surprise, and also, gratitude. "So, you're not freaked out? Angered? You're not going to report me?"

"Doi, of course I'm a little freaked out! And surprised! But...you know, you saved my life back there and all. So I gotta return the favour somehow, don't I?"

The brunette gave a hollow laugh. "You don't have to return the favour, Helga. I like to help people. I'm not expecting anything in return, so really, it's okay. I know I don't have to help, but I want to."

Despite the situation, a small smile traced her lips. "...You sound a bit like Arnold, he's the same way."

A flash of interest came to Casana's eyes and she looked at her. "Is that right?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Helga shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "So...yeah, what's your story?"

"My story? ...Well, do you really want to know?"

"Doi, I just asked, didn't I? Besides, you still didn't answer my questions from before, and if you want to tell, well, I'm all ears."

Casana gave her an odd stare, and then smiled. "Well, I suppose the...sordid tale has to come out eventually. It's a long story."

Helga leaned back a little on the grass, wrapping her arms around her legs and looking up at her. "I got time."

"All right then." She took a deep breath, and looked off into the trees with a bit of a distant look in her eyes. "I was born and raised the first six years of my life in Airisu Valley. It was where my clan, the Kusabana clan, resided. It's in the Earth country, not far off from Iwagakure. Airisu Valley was a beautiful place, abundant in nature and rich in vegetation, it had some of the best places to grow just about any kind of plant. We made it our home, since our clan is one that works to be close to nature. My family was terrific, they were such kind and giving people, and we all loved and supported each other no matter what. However, because of the nature of our clan, and our...other abilities, we weren't exactly accepted back in Iwagakure. In fact, they feared us, thinking that we were freaks who could control nature and try to take over the world...and also, because of our Kekki Genkai."

"Kekki Genkai, what's that?"

"Bloodline limit. Some shinobi clans have a unique bloodline ability that is passed down through that clan's genetic DNA background. One notable attribute to this factor, is an ability using their eyes. For example, there's the Hyuuga clan, who reside in Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They have the ability to see through the human body, locating their chakra points and where it all flows. The power comes from their eyes, as I said."

"Hey wait! We met a couple of ninjas, Neji and Hinata, I think...their last name is Hyuuga. So wait, they-"

"That's right! Yes! So hey, you guys were in Konoha?"

"Long story."

"Ah." Casana nodded again. "Well anyway, another example is the Uchiha clan. Their Kekki Genkai is the Sharingan, another eye technique. It gives them the power to right away see when an ability is Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, or Taijutsu. And also, to know an opponent's movements and copy them, to the very last detail. Alternatively, most especially with the upgraded power...the Mangekyo Sharingan, can inflict a powerful Genjutsu and-"

"Hold up!" Helga suddenly said. "Did you say Uchiha? No way. We met that Princess, her last name's Uchiha, so she's one?"

Casana's eyes went wide with surprise. "You met Princess Orivia?"

"Yeah, we did." Helga nodded. "You know her?"

"More or less. I'll get to that part of the story eventually. ...You didn't hear about the Uchihas, did you?"

"Nope. Like I said, long story. But to make it short, we just kind of met her and we hung out with her and this other ninja, Naruto...yeah, that's his name. They bought us ramen and helped us out before we left the village."

"Oh, so you were in Konoha?"

"Yeah, we were."

"Oh, I see." Casana nodded, letting the information sink in.

"So anyhow, you were saying, something about your childhood and stuff?" Helga leaned back against the grass, using her hands for support.

"Oh, yes. I got off track, sorry." Casana rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, and then sat straight, looking away. "So anyway, the Kekki Genkai of my clan, the Kusabanas, is the Nentougan. This allows the user to read people's minds."

"What?! READ people's MINDS?!" Helga gaped, unsure whether to be freaked out or amazed. "Whoa...Criminy..."

"I know, kind of shocking, isn't it? That's what happened earlier, I read their minds. Except the other guy, kind of. Anyway, the Nentougan allows the user to read people's minds, and also, to sense brain waves from a distance." She held up her fingers a few ways apart. "Let's say this is me," She wiggled her right finger. "And this is some person....who really cares who." She wiggled her left finger. "From the distance, I can activate the Nentougan, and then I can sense the brain waves coming from this person. I can't read their thoughts, but I can sense someone is out there, basically."

_Criminy! Good thing she didn't read MY mind!_ Helga thought.

"Anyway, I'm getting off track again. Long story short, Iwagakure shuns us for the most part. Even though members of my family who were ninjas would go there to train, and because of our skills, they decided to harness it. The village IS where my family originated. My ancestors were driven out by wars and fledto a new place, which was Airisu Valley, and made it their own. My family were mostly farmers, you know, various agriculture workers, fishermen, you know, that kind of thing. My household was very poor, we couldn't afford a lot of things, but...my parents did love my brother and I."

"You have a brother?"

"..._Had_ a brother."

"You mean..."

Casana gave a sigh, a sad look entering her eyes as she looked ahead at the water. She nodded. "He was killed."

"O-Oh...I'm...I'm sorry." Helga murmured, unsure of what to say about that. She could only imagine how it would feel to lose a sibling, especially if you loved them. "What happened to him? I mean, do you want to talk about it?"

"It's okay, Helga. It happened 13 years ago, I can talk about it better now, it's just hard. When I was 6 years old, there was...a massacre. What is known today as the Airisu Valley Massacre. A band of rogue, dangerous ninjas invaded the valley and killed my entire family..." She bit back a sob and took a deep breath. "I survived, because I was hidden in an underground pantry near my house. M-My brother was with me, and he...escaped, I tried to stop him... After it was over...I saw...bodies everywhere....they were all dead...everyone was dead outside..." Tears pooled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

Gut-punched, feeling a strike of guilt and sympathy, Helga placed a reassuring hand on her leg. She wasn't sure what to say to someone who had faced such a traumatizing tragedy, it was beyond what she was used to. And yet, right now was not the time to put up mental walls. This girl was opening up to her and sharing stuff with her as if they were good friends, even if it was still a bit hard for her to talk about. The brunette looked at her, wiping her eyes and smiling at her appreciatively.

"Thanks, Helga. I'm sorry, I get a little teary sometimes when I talk about this." Casana said softly.

"It's okay. ...I...I can understand...it must be traumatizing." Helga admitted, looking away.

"That sums it up. Anyway, so after that happened...I had nowhere to go to, but, I did turn to my only resource. I went to Iwagakure. It wasn't easy, but I made it there, and the Tsuchikage...that stubborn old man...he did take me into the facility where I was to be evaluated and trained to be a ninja, as it was my only source of some kind of contribution to the place. Plus, they knew about the fact that I had inherited my clan's Kekki Genkai...so, despite their fear of it, they decided to, as I said before, harness it. And from there on, it wasn't easy for me. None of the other kids ever wanted to play with me. They bullied me mercilessly, verbally and even a bit physically. The adults did nothing, they ignored or shun me. I was always so alone, so scared, you know? No one cared about me, or even noticed me at all. Others would think I was an attention-grabbing Jessabell or something, looking for someone to pour all my baggage on." She sighed at this, shaking her head.

A string of empathy came through, and while her situation was not exactly the same, Helga did see where she was coming from. She turned to look at her, sympathetically.

"...So no one noticed you?" She dared to ask, remembering those words asked to her by Dr. Bliss.

Casana looked straight ahead, and despite the sadness in her eyes, she then lit up and a small smile crossed her face. "Well...there was someone. I was at the park during sunset one evening, and I sat down on the side of the stone path, crying, and then..."

As she launched into the story, she couldn't help but reminisce the moment that changed her life forever.

~Flashback~

_Six-year-old Casana sobbed and cried into her hands, her shoulders trembling. She couldn't take it anymore, and just let it all out. The pain, the trauma, the loneliness, everything. She missed her family so much, wishing with all their heart that they were alive and with her, so she wouldn't feel so alone. But unfortunately for her, that was just the reality of it all. It was horrible, she was so young, so naiive, so scared, how could she possibly make it? _

_She didn't know. All she knew was that the other kids AND the adults all hated her, and her family, for reasons she didn't even know. She didn't understand, her family and parents were such great people...why were people afraid of them? Why did they hate them?_

"_Mommy... Daddy....Eri..." Casana sobbed to herself. "Please come back..."_

_For a while she cried, cried, and cried, unable to think or do anything else. It was all too much for her now._

_Right then, a voice from close by, very close actually, then interrupted her train of thought._

"_Hey, why are you crying?"_

_Casana uttered a tiny gasp, not having expected someone to see her, or actually come and ask her why she was crying. For a moment she contemplated whether or not to face the person asking, unsure of the consequences. The question was curious and innocent, not following anything along the lines of "I'll give you something to cry about!" or whatever._

_Could it be that someone was...actually sincere to her?_

_Blinking, she raised her head from her hands, looking up to see a young boy around seven years old, with blonde hair, some of it coming down on the left side of his face, with slim blue eyes, and also with their village's forehead proctector tied around his head, obviously a Genin. She hadn't seen him before, and he didn't seem threatening or about to tease her, but more confused than anything._

_Unless...was he waiting for the right moment to strike?_

"_A-All the kids hate me...because of who I am..." Casana uttered before she could stop herself. _

_The boy studied her, a thoughtful frown on his face, before he spoke again._

"_Why? What's your name, then?"_

_Tears ran down her cheeks before she could stop them, and she looked up at him, wondering whether or not to tell him who she was. Did he really not know? Or was this some kind of a sick trick?_

"_C-Casana... Kusabana..." She murmured, staring up at him tearfully._

"_Oh...so you're the famous Kusabana girl." The boy said, and kneeled in front of her. "I'm Deidara." He extended his hand to her._

_She stared at his hand and then at him with surprise, as if she had never seen such an act before. Slowly she reached out and took his hand, and they shook hands._

"_You seem pretty nice. Don't know what the problem is with the other kids, or the grown ups." Deidara said, and stood up. "Well, you stick with me, Casana. I'll make sure those morons don't bother you again."_

_Deep in her small chest, her heart pounded vigorously, and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Casana smiled and her eyes lit up with happiness. She stood up, not taking her eyes off him._

"_I...th-thank you..." She murmured._

"_Hey, don't mention it." He gave a smile and threw his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, I'll take you back to the place, I got could give you. You know, if you want it. Found it the other day, didn't really have anyone to give it to."_

"_O-Okay..." A soft, lovesick sigh escaped her as she walked along with him, a blush tinting her cheeks._

_It was from this moment on that a beautiful friendship was formed. And most of all, love at first sight._

~End of Flashback~

"He gave me this headband I wear here." Casana gestured to the red headband she wore on her head. "I've worn it ever since, sentimental value, pretty much. After that, I pretty much followed him around like a lost puppy. When I became a Genin, I was apart from him most of the time, but one time during training, he came to see me and gave me a flower..." A girlish giggle escaped her. "Throughout the years, we went through some crazy things, you know. But he was always there when I needed it."

"So that's it..." Letting the information sink in, her suspicions were confirmed...or not quite, but getting close. "Okay, I'm just gonna take a wild guess here, but with what you're telling me here... You love him, don't you?"

Casana's gaze snapped back to her, eyes wide. Though she expected her to deny it, or even clam up and look away, the older girl just blushed a little. "...Is it that obvious?"

"Pretty much." Helga shrugged. "I mean, you got a little flustered when he touched you earlier, you get this look in your eyes when he's around, you light up when his name is mentioned, and by your backstory, it sounds to me like you had a crush on him. The signs are all there, toots. You're in love with him, clear as day."

"...Well, I guess I can't deny it." Casana gave a smile. "I love him. I really do. Thing is though, I just can't tell him."

"Why not?" Now THIS was new, and definitely interesting. A page right out of her own book! Helga inched closer, curious. "I mean, you know, I understand where you're coming from, but really, why? What's stopping you?"

"Oh, you know. I'm just scared of ruining our friendship and...well, rejection. I know that sounds stupid, but really Helga, I just couldn't handle myself if he didn't love me back. I love him more than anything in the world, I really don't know if I can fill that void. I've done so many things, a lot of crazy things...out of love."

"Like what?" Helga asked in a soft voice. She could definitely relate, and really wanted to know more.

She looked at her then, seeming to be hesitant. "...Do you really want to know?"

* * *

**Contrary to what you might think...it was actually Sakura and Ino who inspired me for the meeting thing. And the headband, too. :D I created it back in 2007 or so.  
**

**When I heard of what happened on "Helga On The Couch", you can say I was pretty surprised, since I honestly didn't know how Helga met Arnold at the time I was a kid...or that she wore her bow because he liked it. **

**Wow. XD Coincidence!  
**


	14. Girl Talk

**Okay, you guys are probably wondering one thing right now. ****"Nintendo! WHERE is Arnold?! I'm worried sick about him!" **

**Well, you and Helga have something in common. XD My friend expressed this to me, which surprised me, but I will assure you now as I did her, that he's okay. I'm not cruel, I would not do that to him, or to Helga, or to you. Especially not to Helga.**

**Really. Do you have any idea what she would do to me if I killed him? Exactly right. I say that to the Hey Arnold! The Movie game! XD When Arnold dies or I get a game over, I say "Come on, Arnold! Don't die! Do you have any idea what Helga would do to me if she found out you died?!"**

**XD Exactly. But anyway, don't worry, we'll go to see him soon.**

**But anyhow,**

**Oh, and I do want to make another thing clear, I created Casana about 3 or 4 years ago, long before I got back into Hey Arnold!, which occurred this past November in 2009. So yes, I can see the canny resemblances between both sets of characters and pairs, trust me, I didn't plan on it...but this is how it happened, I guess. XD **

**Now then, let's be off with the story.**

-==-=-

"Well, I mean, if you want to talk about it. I guess it would piece together the whole story and all."

"That's true, although I should say that it's pretty much unlike what you'd expect... I can see you're not exposed to a lot of things, yeah?" Casana glanced at her again.

Helga shrugge.d "Doi, at least not at your level. But these past few days took the cake, so I think I can handle it. Even if not, hey, give me credit here! I'm Helga after all, inflicting fear and destruction on those who cross me."

Holding back a laugh, Casana nodded then. "Well, okay. I guess I'll-"

"Casana, hey, pick up over there! Hello? Do you copy? Are you in there?" A slightly muffled, crackled voice came from Casana's pack.

"What the heck?!" Helga jumped, startled.

"Oh, it's only the radio communications set." Casana said, and reached into her pack, producing a small ear piece, and a collar that had a dial on it. "I read you. Is everything all right?"

"Fine. I ran into one of those rogues from earlier, the ones who apparently kidnapped the girl's friend there, which apparently are apparently a gang of thugs known as the Mettaninai Hunters. I managed to fight him off, showing him the true meaning of art, of course. He got it. But then he said that three of his teammates were sent your way. Are you girls all right?"

"No problems here, we're fine. Just making our way to the designated meeting point. We did run into those thugs, and I managed to infiltrate their minds and get some much-needed information. They're located North East of the borders of the Wind Country, in the Sasagawa region, and they have a stone fortress right in the middle of an open field...with some trees around, apparently. Talk about stealthy." This was said with sarcasm. "Apparently you can't miss it."

A snort was heard on the other line of the radio communicator. "Shows how stupid they are. No wonder. Well I'll show them, you can count on that."

"I don't doubt that." Casana murmured, shaking her head. "Anyway, so you should go there and hurry because I know what they're planning."

"What's that?"

"To overthrow the Wind Country, and using...well, a conveniently kidnapped kid to gain the surrendering factor. You know, 'Surrender or this kid dies!' kind of thing."

Helga's eyes widened and she grabbed at her heart by reflex, shocked and suddenly despaired. It didn't go unnoticed to Casana, who glanced at her briefly.

"Well isn't that a problem. Oh well, I'll take care of them anyway, looks like some lives will be spared." Came the dry response. "Not to worry, I'll make it there fast and get that kid...Arnold, right?"

"You had better save him or I'll make you regret it!" Helga yelled into the radio as she recovered. "Get going, now! You know where they are and what they're up to, get moving! On the double man, on the double!"

"Calm down, Helga." Casana coaxed, gently prying her fingers from the collar of the radio.

"Hey, relax. Nothing's going to happen to that kid, not while I'm around. I'll keep you updated, over and out." White noise was heard and then faded away.

"See ya." Casana murmured playfully and then put the radio away. She looked at Helga, her eyes brimming with concern. "Are you all right? I noticed you seemed pretty shaken up about all this."

"I'm fine." Helga blushed and looked away. "I guess I'm just worried, you know."

She smiled in understanding and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know, Helga. It's okay to be worried, I can understand. Don't worry, we'll see to it that Arnold will be saved."

The contact made Helga stiffen, and yet, it warmed her insides and she felt less awkward and more secured. She glanced at the older girl at the corner of her eye, a ghost of a smile tracing her lips.

"...Um, thanks...I guess."

She smiled more, and then removed her hand. "While we're here, do you still want to hear what happened in the past?"

"Well, yeah." Helga said, eager for the change of subject. "Not all stories leave me in suspense like that."

"All right then. Other than some little things, I did my share of dangerous and risky things, because of love." Casana looked away again. "During the Chuunin Exams, when I was eleven and he was twelve, we were in the Forest of Death, and I had gotten separated from my team. I found him later on, being beaten by Mist Village ninja, and...well, I stole a ninja Elite's mask to hide my identity and went in there, beating off the ninjas to get them away from him. I then healed him, even though it wasn't quite the 'right' thing to do, but I did anyway."

"People do...crazy things for the people they love." Helga murmured, looking away.

"That's for sure." Casana nodded in agreement. "Then, when I was around thirteen, I was a Chuunin then. ...Things really went down, and I ended up betraying the village."

Helga's gaze snapped to her in surprise. "What?!"

"Deidara broke the law...and I...helped him escape."

-Flashback-

_Night had descended upon the village, all was quiet. But little did any of the Shinobi expect, that this was a night where things would go terribly wrong._

_Jounin and Chuunin were set up along the lookout points, keeping guard this evening, some looking through binoculars around the village and up in the sky. It seemed like any other night, very quiet and not much going on. But it was duty, it was routine._

_Perched on one of the crossing bridges suspended high above the ground, Casana kept watch as well, having a night patrol shift this time around, clad in full uniform. While keeping watch, and trying to keep her guard up, she also was beginning to feel VERY bored. It wasn't often she let herself feel bored during duty, but tonight was just one of those nights where she wanted to do something else. Or rather, WITH someone else. A certain someone else._

_She sighed, taking the binoculars she was equipped with and looked out again, scanning the area of the village up ahead, trying to spot any kind of trouble. So far, nothing._

"_Alert! Alert!" Yelled a voice from nearby, startling her. "Everyone, be on alert!"_

"_What is going on?" Casana asked no one in particular._

"_A thief is being pursuited!" Explained an Elite ninja of the village as he landed near her. "He has stolen the Kinjutsu scroll, and is now being pursued. Keep an eye out for him immediately, Kusabana." He leaped away then, warning another guard on the rooftop of a nearby building._

"_Right." Casana nodded, and looked out with the binoculars again. A strange feeling of fear ran through her as she wondered who could have done such a thing since somehow, she had a bad feeling. _

_The entire situation seemed a little TOO coincidental._

_To the east, she could see a group of shinobi running in pursuit of someone, probably the aforementioned thief. They were running in one direction, some veering off to the right and left, splitting up. But where was this thief? Better still, who was the thief?_

"_I'll find you..." Casana murmured to herself, blinking her eyes and activating the Nentougan. _

_Brain waves hit her, seeming to come from all around, but she had to focus, focus on a primary target. She searched, following the trail that the pursuing shinobi were following..._

"_Found you."_

_The brain waves emitting from a nearby source, pursued by the shinobi, was her target._

"_Takada-sensei, I found him." She spoke into a radio headset. "The thief is heading toward the gates, his pursuers are on his trail but still a ways behind."_

"_Excellent. Go down there and dispatch of him any way that you can, until the others reach him as well." Takada replied on the other line. "I will send in more reinforcements if needed."_

"_Roger that. I'm going in."_

"_Be careful, Casana."_

_Casana smiled a little. "I'll do my best, sensei."_

_She pocketed the binoculars and then leaped gracefully into the air and landed on a nearby building, keeping her sights on the trail of the thief. She could see him now, in plain sight, though somewhat hidden in the shadows of the night, so she was unable to make him out. No matter, she would figure it out once she caught him._

_Keeping in the shadows as well, Casana leaped down to the ground, looking about to see if anyone was around, and once more, spotted her target. Quickly, she ran toward him, keeping as quiet and stealthy as possible, so as not to be detected. Having stolen the Kinjutsu of the village, this thief was either a ninja in hopes of obtaining the power of the forbidden jutsu, or, simply a thief trying to steal and sell it for a profit. Sensing chakra from him, she assumed he was a ninja. The motives, she was unsure, but would soon find out._

_Getting closer, she went in for the kill._

"_Stop, thief!"_

_Creating a hand seal, vines then shot out from the ground, and lunged ahead of her like snakes, going straight for her target. The thief managed to dodge, leaping out of the way which once more confirmed that this thief was a shinobi. Drawing kunai and shuriken, she launched them toward the thief, with her vines following after him again. _

_'I guess I underestimed him...' Casana thought, frowning thoughtfully._

_The vines shot forward again, this time with more persistence, and with that, successfully snagged the thief, taking him by surprise._

"_Gotcha." She said, smirking._

_Hurrying forward, she controlled her vines to restrain him, and then bring him into plain view to get a look at him. _

"_It's over, thief. I have you now, and there's no escape. Now show yourself!"_

_The moon hung overhead, and as the perpetrator was revealed in the moonlight, her eyes grew wide and she felt gut punched, uttering a shocked gasp._

_It couldn't be._

"_Deidara...?!"_

_Her vines released him, and she rushed to his side, feeling shocked, betrayed, terrified...all kinds of conflicting emotions. He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his features._

"_Deidara...why?" Casana uttered, her voice trembling._

"_I guess...I didn't think you would believe me." Deidara replied, looking at the scroll in his hand. "It's the very thing that was missing from my art. The ability to transfer chakra into substances! This Kinjutsu is what I need."_

"_Deidara, no! You're breaking the law, the other shinobi are pursuing you! You can't do this to yourself!" Casana cried, grabbing his shoulders, tears in her eyes. "Please, don't do this..."_

_Deidara shook his head. "I have to. Something was missing, and now I found the missing piece. ...I have to do this, Casana, it's the only way. And besides, they're not going to catch me."_

"_No...no! Don't do this to yourself, you can-"_

"_There he is! She's got him!" Came a voice._

_Looking down the street, they could see the other shinobi fast approaching. They would have surely caught them in a matter of a minute. Casana's mind ran fast, and she did the only thing she could think of then._

"_Come on!" She grabbed hold of his wrist and hurried away in the opposite direction._

"_He's getting away! After them! After them!"_

_Casana inwardly cursed herself for what she was doing, actually going against her orders, which was already a serious violation in itself, but also, helping a fugitive. Why? Why was she doing this? Why wasn't she following her orders, just as she had done since becoming a ninja, and instead helping someone who had just committed a very serious crime?_

_There was no excuse for it. She had only one reason. _

_What else could you do when someone you love was in trouble?_

_Finding an opening, she slipped into the shadows of an alleyway unnoticed, pulling him in with her, waiting quietly and completely still as their pursuers ran past. She was pressed up against him as he stood against the wall, and she would normally have melted and swooned, but now was not the time. The dangers of the situation were far too great._

"_What are you doing?!" Deidara hissed in the darkness. "You're going to get yourself in trouble! What were you thinking?!"_

"_I should ask you the same thing!" Casana hissed back. "What the hell were you thinking?! You stole the Kinjutsu and got yourself chased around the village like a common criminal! Why did you do that?!"_

"_You know why I did that." His voice was softer._

"_No! That's not good enough! I...I understand why...but, you broke the law! You have ruined your life! How could you do that?! Why?!"_

_The blonde just looked away, he had an answer, and she knew it, though he didn't say so. She shook, trembling as tears ran down her face, clutching at his shoulders for leverage. _

"_...Casana..." He looked at her with sad eyes. It wasn't often he faced emotions like this, and it surprised her. She gasped as he brought his arms around her and held her close, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry."_

_Her insides turned into mush, her cheeks became bright pink and her heart pounded vigorously. For a moment, she forgot that they were on the run, and lost herself in his embrace._

_Loud sets of footsteps were heard, indicating that their pursuers were nearby, causing them both to freeze in place, having for a moment forgotten what was going on._

"_Get going, save yourself." Deidara whispered, though he didn't let go of her._

"_N-No! I can't!" Casana uttered against her will._

"_You have to, go! Don't make the same mistake I did."_

"_No! I won't let you!"_

_They were fast approaching, and any second now, they would hear them talking and then their hiding spot would be discovered. Deidara tensed, and then quickly reversed their positions against the wall, now holding her wrists on either side of her head. Her eyes widened, but didn't dare stop him._

"_...I'm sorry." He then said, looking at her with a strange gleam in his eyes._

_Before she could answer, her heart did a backflip and just about popped out of her chest as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. For a fleeting moment, she wondered, could this have meant he felt the same way about her? Were her feelings actually being reciprocated?_

_But then reality struck her._

_It was a cover-up. To keep them quiet. So as not to be seen or heard by his pursuers._

_But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it._

_Deidara released her wrists, and she fisted her fingers into his hair and kissed back with all the passion she could muster. He stiffened in surprise for a moment, but seemed to relax. Once more, their pursuers ran past and didn't see them in the shadows of the alleyway, not once seeing the fugitive and his now saving grace kissing passionately._

_They finally parted, their eyes meeting. Casana panted lightly, her heart pounding so hard that she could hear it. There was apology in his eyes, and yet, gentle confusion as well. Her insides melted, he had never looked at her like that before._

"_Sorry." He let her go, and then peered out of the alley and onto the street._

"_It's okay...we're friends...and we were just caught up in all the excitement. The heat of the moment, that's all."_

"_Right."_

_Seeing the coast clear, he then grabbed her hand and ran off into the night with her._

-End of flashback-

"We managed to throw them off our trail for a while, but then later they caught us again, and then he...used his newfound ability to blow them up. The Kinjutsu he had stolen was a forbidden jutsu from our village, which allowed the ability to transfer chakra into substances."

"Whoa...how'd he do that?"

"He made a model out of clay, transferred chakra into it, and threw it at his pursuers and then made it explode." Casana shook lightly at the memory. "It was beautiful, and yet, terrifying all at once."

"Holy smokes... That's crazy!" Helga ran a hand through her hair, trying to get over the shock from the story. Despite that, she was very intrigued and wanted to hear more. "Then what happened?"

"He made his escape from the village, and I went after him. That, now looking back, was the stupidest thing I had ever done. Aside from something else, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Of course, he resisted it because he didn't want me to... well, as he put it, throw my life away. But I knew he didn't exactly resist the idea of me going with him, either. He asked me why I did it, and well...you know, I couldn't very well tell the truth, could I? Not yet, at least. I just told him he was my friend, my best friend in fact, and I was involved. Too involved. Not only that, I felt out of place and shunned in the village, not to mention I didn't have a family to go back to. So really, there was nothing hold me back. I had bigger dreams for myself, and I wanted to be with him, so, that's how we ended up leaving the village. He escaped to make his art useful, and I went with him. Stupid, I know, but hey, you do crazy things for the person you love."

"That's for sure." Helga muttered under her breath, feeling another twinge of worry. "What happened after that?"

"Oh, you know. Nothing much I can say about that. We just traveled around all over the place, he was making his art useful, people asked him to blow things up for them, you know. He was pretty much a terrorist bomber. Me, I sometimes took part in his assignments by helping to clear the mess and add some plants to the land, and even had my own little odd jobs. It wasn't always easy, but we made it through and did make money here and there. It lasted for a while, and I didn't think this deal was so bad. Plus, it gave me time to think of what I wanted out of my life and see the world. Unfortunately, trouble began. The Akatsuki...caught on to Deidara and his abilities."

"A...Aka....what was that you just said?"

"Akatsuki. At the time, they were the most dangerous, feared, and powerful criminal organization, made of S-Ranked criminals. They caught wind of him, and had him fight against..." An angered look came to her face. "....That foul bastard-excuse my language-Itachi Uchiha." She calmed after a moment and smiled a little. "And yes, relation to our Princess, she's his cousin. Anyway, so he was put up to fight against Itachi. If he won, they'd leave him alone. If he lost, he'd be recruited into the organization. ...Well, you can guess what happened there."

"He lost." Helga concluded.

"Yep." Casana nodded and sighed. "After that, that's when everything went downhill. He told me what happened, and then soon, he was gone. Just gone. I knew I'd never see him again. It was the hardest times of my life. I tried to move on, to make a better life for myself and see what else there was out there, but I just couldn't do it. I wandered aimlessly all over the place for a while, a long while, and pretty much just felt like an empty shell of what I used to be. It was as if he had died, but he wasn't dead. He was just...gone. I was pretty bland and depressed, uninspired and felt fatalistic. You know, like I was just existing. I know that sounds pretty stupid from a feminist point of view, but really, that's just how I felt. Someone who I'd spent most of my childhood with, who I fell in love with at first sight, and lived through many adventures together, was gone. It felt as if a part of myself was ripped out."

Helga shook her head, looking away. "No, that's not stupid at all. I can understand how you must have felt."

She smiled at her, and then continued with her story. "Thanks, Helga. Well anyway, so then I made the stupidest decision ever." At the blonde girl's questioning gaze, she sighed. "I went and joined the Akatsuki."

"Whoa! What?! You...whoa..." That was not what she expected, and yet, somehow, it was, in a way. Maybe not to that extent.

"Yeah, pretty much. I knew they were after me, though not on top priority, so I made myself available to them and offered my skills and Kekki Genkai, and then I was in. I won't lie, I wasn't looking forward to committing heinous crimes and killing innocent people, because that's not who I am. I was an unwilling criminal. I did do my job, and I did manage to pass judgment on people who didn't deserve to be living, but it was terrible. The only thing that made it worthwhile at all was him. We were side by side again, and that's what I was after. It went on for a while, and then recently, I don't know, months ago, I guess...there was some kind of a treaty that was made with the Nine-Tails-I mean, that boy Naruto Uzumaki, he made a kind of a peace settlement with the Akatsuki leaders and-"

"Wait a second. Naruto? No way, you mean that loud-mouth snook, as the Princess put it? The same Naruto?"

Casana giggled. "So you met him too, huh? I see. Well yes, I do mean that same Naruto."

"He's something, all right." Helga admitted, shaking her head.

"That's true. So anyway, the Akatsuki since then kind of split up and we're all off kind of doing our own thing. You can see now Deidara himself went off to do what he was doing before, and of course, I went with him. And now here we are."

"So that's your life story." Despite how she said it, Helga did admit that it was very interesting, considering it was a far different lifestyle than what she could have expected. The love aspect too, was also intriguing, considering how she could relate, in some aspects.

"More or less. So far. Now we're here, helping out you two."

"Yeah..." Helga looked away again. "Um, you know...I guess I should say thanks. You know, for helping out."

"No problem at all. We'll make sure to get him back, I promise. Don't worry. I can see that Arnold is very important to you."

"Huh?!" Helga jumped, snapping her gaze at her again. "W-Wait, you've got it all wrong! That football-headed geek is just my classmate! I'm not THAT heartless, I'm not about to just leave him out there to die and be kidnapped! Come on!"

Casana smiled, shaking her head. "Helga, do you honestly think I believe that he means so little to you? I don't know, but I think you might care for him a little more than you let on."

"Yeah, well, what makes you think that?" Helga wanted to know. _Criminy, am I that transparent? Is it THAT obvious?_

"Well first off, you were very desperately scared and genuinely concerned for him, the way you were begging us to help you find him. I could tell that. Then just a few minutes ago when I was talking about the Mettininai's plans, you had a look of sheer despair and panic on your face that I don't often see on people unless they really care for someone. And also you were threatening if he wasn't saved... And every time his name is brought up, you just seem to brighten up, even though you've looked nothing but worried for the past while." Casana told her, and gave a knowing smile. "You don't have to lie to me, Helga. If you really care about him, that's okay, it's great to care for someone. I can understand perfectly."

Helga paused, letting all of this sink in, realizing that she was exactly right. She wasn't accusing her of how she truly felt, leaving that up to her to confirm, but she could see now that the older girl was definitely suspicious. She wondered, what would it solve to deny it right now? Casana was a genuinely nice girl who would probably be more apt to accept the fact she loved Arnold as opposed to making fun of her for it. She was nineteen years old, anyway, so she was pretty mature. Plus, she had just opened to Helga herself, about her life and about her feelings, all with no obligation to do so. It was hard to talk about the things she did, and yet, she did because she wanted to, and hey, Helga was curious and wanted to know.

Besides, Casana was, in some ways, in the same boat. She was lonely and scared at a young age, and then met someone who had showed her kindness and friendship, where she fell in love, doing all kinds of crazy things to prove she loved him. Crazy and stupid, but still, all out of love. Not to mention, she too, was keeping it secret from the very object of her affections. So really, what made her think that she was going to laugh at her if she admitted she loved Arnold?

Maybe it was her turn to open up. To tell a girl who was going through the same thing, that she too, faced keeping her love a secret from the world, especially from the very central person.

"W-Well...I...um...."

"You what, Helga?" Casana smiled, gently prompting her.

"I...I..." Helga stood up, turning away as she tried to get the words out. "...I...I...I like Arnold." She admitted in a small voice.

"Huh? What did you say?" Casana asked, having not heard.

"I like Arnold." Helga said through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I like Arnold."

"Come on Helga, speak up."

"I. LIKE. ARNOLD!" Helga screamed, turning around and flailing her arms. "You were right! I do care about him! I always have! I'm head over heels, hook line and sinker, over the moon, in love with the boy! I love Arnold! I love him more than anything in the world! He's my everything! I want to marry him, I want to travel the world with him, I want a perfume named after us; Arnold and Helga, the whole nine yards! I love Arnold, I've always loved him, ever since I first laid eyes on his stupidly adorable football head! I build shrines to him in my closet, I write volumes of books with poems about him, I stalk him night and day, I LOVE him! I LOVE ARNOLD! Are you happy now?!"

Taken aback, Casana stared at her, wide-eyed, for a couple of moments before she exhaled and smiled, getting to her knees and taking Helga's hands in her own.

"Okay, I understand, Helga. But you didn't need to shout. Come on, sit down."

Helga did, her cheeks bright pink and unable to believe she had just confessed her deepest secret to her. Then again, it wasn't so secret anymore since Arnold now knew. More so than before.

"Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to if you don't want to, but if you want to, then go ahead."

With a sigh, Helga looked at her lap. "Well, it's a bit of a long story."

Casana smiled. "I've got time."


	15. An Artistic Rescue

**Hello folks. Yeah, you probably will skim through my silly, bold-text author's comments. XD But I am here to say that we are finally going to see how our dear poor Arnold is doing...after having been missing for two chapters! Oh NOES! D: Tyranny! Absolute tyranny!**

**Not to worry, I am now about to initiate...**

**THE SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME RESCUE! OH MY GOD!**

**Now then, ahem, excusing my insanity of capital letters, why don't we delve into the story and see what's going on with our heroes?**

**...Or, two heroes and two villains. Or the villain and the too-good-to-be-bad villain? XD**

**Oh what the hell! Let's just go!**

**=-=-=**

"Hey kid, you comfy in there? You better be! 'Cause you'll be in there a long, long time..."

"Enjoy it while it lasts! Nyuck nyuck nyuck..."

"Look at that pathetic worm, he thinks he's so tough, playing the silent treatment on us! Haha! What a wimp!"

"Ahahaha! And that head! Look at that oblong head!"

"We should kick it!"

"Oh yell yeah!"

More terrible, annoying laughter, before they trouped out of the room of cells and shut the large door behind them.

Arnold was seated in the corner of a cell, his wrists bound by shackles as he sat in misery and fear, feeling powerless to even try to escape. As one to always look on the bright side, he felt all of that just slipping away. The only person who knew what happened to him was Helga, but she was either killed...despite the horrible thought that he tried to push out of his mind, or just as powerless. He didn't blame her, she was only nine years old and probably didn't even know where this place was. Not to mention far away.

Of course, he didn't blame her, nor expect anything.

More so, he was worried about her. He tried not to think of the idea of her having been killed, which he hoped and prayed was not the case. But what had happened to her? Where was she? Was she okay? His heart wrenched as he felt more powerless to know that he couldn't even save or protect her, as he promised he would.

_I let her down. I made a promise to her that I would always be there for her, that I'd protect her, and now look. I can't believe this happened, I'm trapped here in a cell with maniacal ninjas and Helga is still out there possibly in trouble or..._

He shook his head to rid himself of the horrid thoughts.

What else could he do? He was trapped, more trapped than the time he, Helga, Gerald, Phoebe, Harold and all those other people were trapped on the derailed, malfunctioning subway. Or even earlier, back on the train.

No. This was worse. Not only was he captured and trapped with no means of a possible escape, but it was in the middle of a strange dimension of sorts, where no one from back home could possibly get to, let alone knowing of it or his capture. Helga had been his only source of familiarity, security, and survival, and now she was possibly facing an impending, inescapable doom, just like he was.

Arnold sighed for the umpteenth time since he'd regained consciousness, thinking back to the last time he saw Helga, when he had been chasing after her in the forest after the incidents on the train, and were then ambushed by ninjas, who had effortlessly manhandled him and knocked him unconscious. Minutes before that, they had an argument, that had followed another passionate confession, and kiss, from Helga, which undoubtedly confirmed the truth behind her confession back on the FTi rooftop.

A blush tinted his cheeks, knowing now that any doubts he may have had about Helga's feelings were swept away. He could still feel her hands gripping him, in his hair and on his shoulders, her passionate confession, and then oh, her kiss. His second-third?-real kiss. Of course, technically his first kiss was during the school play, but it had been scripted, not quite done by free will. In a matter of speaking, of course.

It struck him then, the same question he'd been asking himself for a while when he bothered to think of it.

Did he love her back?

Either way, it was too late now. There was no way out of this. His heart sank, not just the loss of his full life ahead, his family, his friends, his unanswered question to the true whereabouts of his parents, and Helga...

Arnold sighed again, hanging his head. Hopeless.

"I'm sorry, Helga... There was nothing I could do. I wish I could get out of here and make sure you're okay."

BOOM!

"AH!" Arnold yelped in surprise, falling onto the floor on his back.

The wall outside his cell just EXPLODED, causing a violent tremor and the stone to fly in, creating plumes of dust, and in all, creating a large, gaping hole that led to the outside. Arnold sat back up, coughing away the dusty smoke, shocked, scared, and very surprised as to what had just happened. It wasn't until he then saw the shadowed silhouette of something, a human, coming in through the hole, hard to see through all the dusty smoke.

As it cleared, it revealed to be a tall young adult male, though mistakenly female for a fleeting moment, until the flat chest gave it away. He grinned, rather maniacally, and let out a breath.

"Works every time." He said, and then looked at him through the cell. He stared, studying him for a moment before realization came to his eyes. "Hey...you're Arnold, right?"

Now THAT was even more shocking.

Arnold gaped, unsure of how to respond to this. How did he know his name? Let alone that he was here? Did Helga make it? Was she all right? But wait, she probably didn't even know where he was! So many questions buzzed through his mind as he stared with surprise and shock at the taller blonde.

"Hey kid, are you mute or something? I asked you a question."

Realizing his mistake, Arnold shook his head. "Y-Yeah, sorry... Yes, I'm Arnold. Um...how did you know I was here? Or even who I am?"

"Your little girlfriend back there." The taller blonde replied, frowning a bit in thought. "Didn't catch her name, though. Blonde hair in pigtails, blue eyes, a pink dress, a bow on her head, one eyebrow and-"

"Helga?!" Arnold realized, standing up quickly. "Is she all right? Is she hurt? She isn't hurt, is she?"

"Relax kid, she's fine. A little injured but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed. She's with my partner, who's looking after her. Pretty lucky that we found her, let me tell you. She could've been dead."

Arnold gulped a bit and his face fell with worry. But he was immensely relieved to know that Helga was safe.

"Well, thanks for looking after her." He said softly. "Who are you, anyway?"

"The name's Deidara, but I won't be offended if you don't remember it." Said the older blonde. "Stand back, kid. I'm busting you out of here."

"Okay." Arnold did and stood back against the wall, far from the bars.

Reaching into his clay back, molding some clay into the shape of a bird, with the help of, he shockingly discovered, _mouths on his palms!_ Live, real, working mouths with tongues and everything!

Placing the model on the bars, Deidara jumped back and muttered a word under his breath.

BOOM!

The walls and floor shook, as did the bars, which broke apart and fell down to the ground with a loud clang. The explosion wasn't as big or powerful as the first, but still enough to cause a tremor and break down the bars.

Unfortunately, it also alerted his captors.

"Hey! What the hell's going on down here?!"

"Kid, you better not be playing with firecrackers!"

"He's in chains, how could he?!"

The large door opened and in came four ninjas of the group, each wielding a weapon, ranging from a sword to nunchucks.

"Who the hell are you?!" Yelled one of them.

Deidara just smirked at them maniacally, unfazed by their sudden entrance. "Who I am won't concern you now. You should be more worried about something else."

"Oh, a wise guy, eh? Well boys, let's teach them a-"

"Oh my God! What is this weird thing?! Boss, there's something on me!"

"And on me! Oh dear God it's moving and crawling!"

"Get it off! Get it off!"

Spiders made of clay, were CRAWLING along the ninjas as if they were alive. The ninjas squirmed, yelling and screaming, which only went to prove that they were nothing but cowardly wimps. Watching in amazement and shock, Arnold blinked as he tried to make sense of the situation, glancing over at the former Akatsuki member questioningly.

Noticing, Deidara winked at him. "Just watch and learn." He made a hand seal.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The clay models all simultaneously exploded, much to Arnold's surprise, making him jump again as he just now witnessed people getting killed by explosions. Whoa!

The carcasses all fell to the ground, all of them dead from the explosions. Deidara gave a satisfied grin and then walked over to the fallen bodies, and picking up a ring of keys. He studied them, and then went over to Arnold in the cell. There were five keys, though he wasn't sure which one was the right key.

"How did you do that?" Arnold asked, amazed, as he held out his shackled wrists.

"I'll explain later. But for now, just know that it was a work of art." The taller blonde said, testing each key until finally, one of them worked and the lock clicked, freeing Arnold's wrists. "There. You're free now. C'mon, I'll get you out of here."

Rubbing his wrists for a moment, Arnold barely had time to register what was going on before more yells were heard from outside the room, which meant the others were alerted of what was occurring here. Deidara frowned, and then quickly grabbed Arnold's hand before practically dragging the younger boy out of the cell and out the big hole in the wall to get outside.

"Wait, how are we going to outrun them?"

"Let me handle it, kid."

Before Arnold could question further, another live, moving clay model of a bird flew out in front of them, and then _expanded in size!_ At least the size of a mini van! Deidara looked behind him to see that more of the group's ninjas were coming out after them through the hole. He grabbed the smaller boy and leaped onto the bird's back, carefully securing Arnold in front of him. The bird spread its clay wings and lifted off the ground, rising high into the air and flying off into the horizon.

Arnold let out a surprised cry and tensed under the older blonde's protective grip to secure him, his eyes wide with shock as he now registered that they were FLYING on a GIANT CLAY BIRD. Flying! He'd dreamed many times of flying in a plane or on a kite, but in real life? It was absolutely terrifying.

"Relax kid, I've gotcha." Deidara assured him, and then produced a few more clay models in his free hand. He looked back down toward the fortress they had just escaped from, and sent them off flying. "Bombs away."

A few moments passed, and then the loud sounds of an explosion was heard behind them, with smoke and fire rising high into the air. Arnold looked back around, his eyes wide and letting out a whistle.

"Whoa." Was all he could say.

"Worked like a charm." Said the older blonde. "So hey, you okay, Arnold?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. They didn't hurt me much."

"Figured. Least I'm not bringing you back to your little girlfriend in pieces. She's a real firecracker."

"Girlfriend?!" Arnold exclaimed in surprise, and blushed a little bit. "W-Wait, you've got it all wrong. Helga's just my friend."

"Are you sure?" Deidara raised a brow, smirking a little. "She obviously has a thing for you. I may be crazy, but I'm not an idiot."

"W-Well....um...." The smaller boy blushed a little more. "N-Never mind that now, we're just friends."

"If you say so, kid."

With the dying smoke and fire far behind, they flew off into the horizon toward the designated destination...

–

**Hey guys, I know this chapter is short, but I decided to make Arnold's rescue one lone chapter. So hey, now he's back! :D **


	16. Both Sides

**Hello. XD I'm back again! Now you're all probably wondering what's up, but fret not, just enjoy the story. :D**

**--**

"Well, gosh...it's been a while since I've ever really talked about it." Helga admitted, looking away again.

"If you don't want to, you don't-"

"Hey, the cat's out of the bag! Not like I'll be doing any good if I don't go into the oh-so romantic details."

Casana just smiled, and Helga glanced at her at the corner of her eye before she sighed and began her story.

"Well, I was three years old when I first met Arnold."

"You beat my record! I was six." Casana said, trying to lighten the mood.

Helga couldn't help but smile a little. "I guess so. Anyway, so I...well, went to preschool, I was all wet and covered in mud, a stupid stray dog stole my lunchbox and I..."

"Hold on a moment." Casana interrupted politely. "And where were your parents during all this? I mean, there's no way any parent would let their own three year old traverse the streets of the public alone."

"You never met my stupid parents." Helga muttered. "They were at home. With _Olga._"

"Olga? I'm assuming she's your sister?"

"Bingo. She's my older sister, and she's a stellar achiever. All her life she's been the best at everything she does. Winning trophies and medals, she's a legend at my school, and my parents constantly shower her with praise, love, affection and always being so proud of her. And guess who gets left in the dust? That's right, me. Their OTHER daughter who never seems to matter. She was the apple of everyone's eye. Ever hear of playing favourites? Well, they did just that with us. Olga was the favourite, I was the reject."

Casana frowned. "That's despicable. What kind of parents would actually do that? Letting their own child wander the streets like that? That's...that's just wrong!"

"Wait till they hear that, coming from an S-Ranked criminal." Helga muttered sarcastically. "So you can say no one noticed me. I was always the wallflower, the one who got pushed aside and ignored. ...Until, I met him." Her expression softened a little.

~Flashback~

_Helga stood in front of the preschool, Urban Tots Preschool, forlorn, cold and scared. She had finally made it, despite the rain and the mud now covering part of her body. She felt miserable, ready to cry. This was not fair._

_A car pulled up to the curb, which she barely paid any mind to. But then, a few moments later, the rain stopped falling. Helga was puzzled, it was still raining, but not directly on her. _

_As it registered, she turned and came to see a little boy around her age standing next to her. He had a strange, football-shaped head, green eyes, blonde hair that stuck up and pointed in all directions, and a yellow raincoat, topped with a tiny blue cap on his head. He smiled at her, having been the one to stop the rain since he was sharing his umbrella with her._

"_Hi," The boy said. "Nice bow."_

"_Huh?" Helga blinked._

"_I like your bow, because it's pink like your pants." The boy said kindly, and walked over to the door with her, pulling his umbrella closed before going inside._

_Helga pressed her hands against the glass, looking in at him through the glass as he took off his coat and boots. A warm, happy feeling coursed over her and she forgot all about her misery. All thanks to this boy, who was actually nice to her and was trying to cheer her up. Not only was he cute, but he was sweet. She smiled in a lovesick manner and let out a dreamy sigh._

_She liked this boy._

_The boy smiled and noticed her looking in at him, making her blush and look away. _

"_Are you coming in?" He asked her._

_Nodding once, Helga entered the building, looking at him shyly._

"_I'm Arnold." The boy, Arnold, smiled at her and held his hand out to for her to shake. "What's your name?"_

_Helga looked down at his hand as if she'd never seen one before, feeling the warm feeling come back to her heart, and she grasped his hand in her own. "Helga. I'm Helga G. Pataki."_

"_Nice to meet you, Helga." Arnold said, and didn't let go of her hand. "Come on, let's get Miss Walker to clean you up, you have mud on your clothes."_

_He gently guided her to the main play room, still holding onto her hand. Helga mutely followed after him as the lovesick manner._

_She didn't just like him._

_She loved him._

_--_

_Later on, it was snack time and all the kids were situated at the little tables around the room, eating graham crackers and drinking milk. Helga stared at Arnold with a half-lidded, loving gaze as he sat with an African-American boy named Gerald, both of them coming up with a cute little thumb-shake._

_She was so entranced by the boy she'd fallen in love with, that she didn't even notice this one kid, a bigger-sized boy named Harold, suddenly grab her plate of crackers and eat them._

_She reached to take one, only then to find they were gone. The big kid laughed at her while he ate the crackers right in front of her. Once more, her misery returned and she felt ready to cry again._

_All of a sudden, a plate of crackers was set in front of her, and Helga followed the green arm of Arnold's sweater._

"_Want mine?" He asked, smiling._

_Helga nodded, wordlessly accepting his crackers. She watched him go sit back down, and once more all of her misery melted away, thanks to the sweetness and utmost kindness given to her by this boy. She looked at him lovingly and gave a dreamy sigh, loud enough for the entire table to hear._

_That was when the trouble started._

_Suddenly, the kids at her table were all laughing. Laughing and pointing at her, to be exact, indicating she was the one they were laughing at. Helga sat, frozen and stunned now. Had they seen in her during her little lovesick daze? No wonder they were laughing! She couldn't believe it. Being laughed at and ridiculed, all because she liked Arnold?_

_Fear, hurt, and confusion coursed over her then, but was soon replaced with anger and rage. Helga went and shoved the big kid clear off the bench, making him land on his back._

"_Quit laughing, geek bait! Or you'll have to answer to Old Betsy and...and the Five Avengers!"_

"_O-Old who and the five what?!" Harold cried, not at all as intimidating as before._

"_My fists, stupid! That's their names!" Helga declared, holding out her fists._

"_W-Wait, wait...your fists have names?! Ahhhh!! You're confusing me!" Harold cried, grabbing the sides of his head._

_Helga stomped onto his large stomach and then stormed off over to the centre of the room, knocking around blocks that a Japanese girl was playing with. "I'm the boss around here, got it?!"_

_All the other kids just nodded, too scared to argue or fight her off._

_This was Helga's awakening as a bully who used hostility to cover up her feelings, most notably, her love for Arnold._

~End of Flashback~

"So yeah, go ahead and say what you want to say, I know what it is. I've heard it all before." Helga said as she finished her story, crossing her arms. "You know it's funny, you had it ten times worse than I did...losing your family and all, and yet you're as good as a girl comes...when you're not in ninja killer mode. I'm surprised you didn't snap and go ape-butt on people. And yet here I am doing just that, and my situation is a walk in the darn park!"

"Helga, I..." Casana began, seemingly stricken by the story. "Well...I can only say that I'm sorry that happened to you. And that you had to resort yourself to being... mean to someone you love."

"You don't know the half of it." Helga muttered, sighing again. "You're lucky, you hide how you feel and yet you still treat your guy like he actually matters. I'm just a cold-hearted...that word that rhymes with witch. Whatever it is, I'm that."

"You are not." Casana told her sternly. "Helga...I may not resort to what you do, but I understand where you're coming from. It's true that it's definitely not the best method of handling things, and bullying others really isn't excusable, but like I said, I can understand why you do that. And I can see clearly, in fact, I could from the moment I met you, that you really are a good person on the inside. Are you really that scared to show it?"

"Tch, that's what Arnold always says." Helga said crossly, as a tinge of worry coursed through her again, realizing once more the reality of the situation. But she forced those thoughts out of her mind, no time to worry now. "I have a reputation to uphold, doi. You probably wouldn't under-....wait, look at who I'm talking to." She gave a nervous chuckle. "Heh heh...well...look at that! Um...so..."

"Well, anyway..." Casana sighed, deciding not to press that portion of the topic. "I'm guessing Arnold receives the short end of the stick, doesn't he?"

"You have no idea. I act as if I hate him. I pay more attention to him and tease him more than any of the other students. Yeah, I know it's obvious. I throw spitballs at him, I splash him at the water fountain, I once glued feathers to his butt and called him a bird, I call him names like football head and paste-for-brains and hairboy... The list goes on and I can go on, but you get the point by now. I do it because I don't want him or anyone else to know that I love him! Besides, I can't let the other kids think they can walk all over me! I'm trying to-"

"Get them before they get you?"

"...Yeah, pretty much." Helga set her gaze downcast. "But...I guess I did do some nice things for him. I mean, I'm not THAT heartless. I...er...well, I stole his hat, well okay, I didn't STEAL it, it blew off his head in the wind and landed in front of me on the rooftop I happened to be on. I took it and used it in my shrine...yeah, like I said, I make shrines to him in my closet. This incarnate was made out of his used bubblegum."

"Oh!" Casana yelped in surprise, looking shocked and amused at the same time. "Really?"

"Believe it, sister. Anyway, so I...well, then later kinda saw him feeling upset about how he didn't have his hat. He wouldn't come out of his house, not even for free ice cream! So I went back home to try to get it, only to find out my stupid mother threw it all into the trash! So I had to go to the dump, sift through the garbage, before I finally found his hat. I ran into him on the street and I gave it back to him. He was so happy that he..." A small smile crossed her face and she blushed. "He hugged me."

"Awwww...."

"Hey, quit it, it meant a lot to him and he was so happy. I-I guess he has a bit of a tendency to do so when I do something he likes. Ya know, boys!" Helga rubbed the back of her head, sheepish.

"I don't know, Helga, that seems kind of odd to me. I mean, from a victim's point of view, hugging a bully, even if they do something nice for you, is not really the first choice in thanking them. But that's sweet of him though, I guess maybe he cares about you a little, because really, he'd have to like you at least a little if he's willing to hug you, no matter what nice thing you do for him."

Helga considered that, and looked away again. Could she have been right? It was true that it seemed odd whenever Arnold hugged her. Not to be mistaken, she LOVED his hugs, even if she pushed him away each time, paining her to do so. But really, it didn't make sense. Sure, she was nice to him SOMETIMES...could that have been motivation for him to hug her when he did?

She didn't get it.

"Of course, that's just my opinion." Casana went on to say. "But anyway, what else have you done for him?"

"Quite a bit, I guess. I helped him and his friends save a tree in the neighbourhood from being cut down that one time. This other time, Arnold designed a float that he wanted to try to put together for the Founder's Day Parade, but the school didn't have enough money to do it. So I...um...kind of went to my dad. My dad runs a Beeper Store, so he's got a good share of money. So I uh...asked him if he could sponsor his float, and he agreed to it. I purposely flunked out of a spelling bee so that he would win, I gave up running for class president so he would win, even if he didn't win. I helped him get back Gerald Field from the grownups and the fifth grade morons. I saved his life when the green house in his backyard flooded by pulling him onto the makeshift rubber raft and we got out of it safely."

"Wow. That's a lot of amazing things to do for someone you claim to hate."

"Oh, I've heard that before. That's just part of it all. One other thing I did was back on Christmas. He and his...well, not-so family at the boarding house he lives in have this Secret Santa thing, and he got one of the boarders, Mr. Hyun, and found out that all he wanted for Christmas was to be reunited with his long-lost daughter. See, he hailed from Vietnam wars, and this helicopter was going back to America and could only take one person, so Mr. Hyun gave up his daughter so that she could be taken to America and live a better life. Well, Arnold wanted to try to find her, and he and his best friend, Gerald, wound up doing some favours for this guy, Mr. Bailey, doing his Christmas shopping for him in exchange for helping them find Mr. Hyun's daughter, Mai. Blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda... They managed to get everything except a pair of Nancy Spumoni snowboots. Since they couldn't get 'em, no deal."

"Oh wow... So that what happened?"

"You really want to know? Oh fine. I guess I made it this far, may as well go on. I overheard the boys talking about this, and well, at the time I was trying to figure out a great gift I could give to Arnold....don't look at me like that! Anyway, so I get home and Miriam gives me one of my gifts, which was actually a pair of Nancy Spumoni snowboots! I really wanted them too, ya know. Yeah, I did! Don't give me that look! I bet you know where this is going. You're a mind reader, I bet you know."

Casana giggled good-naturedly. "Very funny."

"Har har." Helga rolled her eyes. "Anyway, so I kinda realized what I had to do. It was hard, but whatever. I did. I went to Mr. Bailey, gave him the snowboots, and I helped him work all night to find Mai. And wouldn't you know, we did find her. So we called her, I went to see her and kind of told her what was going on. So I brought her to the boarding house. And there you go, I gave Arnold the one present he wanted, and in turn helped reunite a man with his daughter. No big deal, it was a nice thing to do, I guess. For the holidays."

"Nice thing to do? Helga, that's beyond a nice thing to do." Casana chided gently. "That was really sweet and immensely selfless of you. I don't know many kids your age who would have done that, no matter how much they liked a boy."

"It was the Holidays, okay?! Sheesh..." Helga turned away again. "And I wanted to do something nice for once! It doesn't mean anything! I'm nasty, insensitive, and I'm terrible. It's who I am. I guess sometimes I get a little nice, but it doesn't mean- oh stop looking at me like that! I'm my father's daughter, you know, and I'm never going to be like Little Miss Perfect! So quit making me out to be like her!"

"I'm not. We all have flaws and redeeming qualities about ourselves, it's all just a part of what makes us who we are. The point is to have the right balance, to know which side to show." Casana said sincerely. "You shouldn't have to be someone that you're not, Helga. No one should expect you to be. Being nice... doesn't automatically mean being sunshine and flowers all through the day. It doesn't mean you have to be weak. Being nice is a great attribute."

"But I CAN'T! Hello?! I have a reputation to uphold! If the kids at school see me acting nice and all sweet and oh-so perfect...come on! Don't you get it?! Hell, you get it better than I do! You're a freaking CRIMINAL!"

"Helga..."

"I mean criminy, maybe I do have a bit of a softie side, so what?! Maybe I do love Arnold with all my heart, but that shouldn't change who I am! I'm not like Little Miss Perfect! Helga G. Pataki changes for NO ONE!"

"Helga."

"But still, I guess I'm not helping myself any, I know, whatever. Maybe I had it coming because I chose to act like a rhymes-with-witch instead of maybe, I don't know, like Dr. Bliss said before, CONFRONTING my problems and maybe trying to solve them with the people who made fun of me! But no, I don't do that! A Pataki doesn't do the weak thing! We make them PAY for messing with us!"

A pair of hands grabbed at her shoulders, roughly but gently, and Helga yelped as she was met with stern, cold blue eyes.

"Helga, _enough_." Casana said in her most stern and commanding tone. "So then let me get this straight, what the other kids think about you is more important? Your reputation among them means more than being who you REALLY are?"

Helga was stunned, not sure how to respond to that.

Casana softened and let her go, returning to where she was originally sitting. "What I'm trying to say is that...I can see you feel that you can't live life to your full potential. You can't be yourself like you want to be. You can't express your love toward Arnold like you want to. ...I also take it you're afraid that he'll reject you, is that right?"

"....Pretty much." Helga admitted, still pondering over what she was told just moments before. She knew all about that, but it wasn't often the very truth was thrown into her face from someone else. "Except there's one flaw in all this."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say he kind of knows I love him now."

Casana's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "He knows you love him?! Really?"

"Yeah...I didn't mention that, did I? Heh heh heh..."

"So, you told him?"

"More or less."

"Well, do you know how he feels in return? I mean, what did he say?"

Helga sighed, looking at her lap. "He didn't exactly say he wasn't interested, but he also didn't say he liked me back. What's the use, I just bet he doesn't and is scared to tell me nicely."

Casana frowned in thought, and looked more lit up. "But Helga, if he didn't give you a direct answer, doesn't that kind of mean he wants to think about it before giving you an answer?"

"Well, yeah. Doi. I already knew that."

"No, I mean, it's obvious he's not sure how he feels about you. So there's a chance he might like you back."

"Please, no way."

"Yes way. Helga, if he really was sure that he didn't like you, he would've said so, I bet. I mean, I don't know Arnold like you do, but based on what you say about him, it's obvious he'd be honest about an answer like that."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Helga muttered under her breath, looking away. She didn't quite want to admit that she could have been right.

"I guess what I mean is, he wants to think about it before giving you a straight answer. And I guess I can imagine he was surprised to find out that someone who claimed to hate his guts actually was in love with him all this time. I guess I would be too."

"Guess so." Helga shrugged. "Look, doesn't matter. He knows I love him, end of story."

"Well, how did it happen?" Casana asked her.

"It happened twice."

"Twice?" Casana's eyes widened.

"Yeah. You heard me, twice. The first time was this other time that I was helping him out...in secret. His neighbourhood was being torn down by the sleazeballs of Future Tech Industries in order to build some big giant mall. Arnold and his friends kept rallying against it, trying to stop them from tearing it down. And later on, Arnold finds out that the boarding house he lives in is a historical landmark, so he tried to get the document to prove it. Long story short, I kind of helped him and Gerald, using a voice box to disguise my voice, since I had some info about the FTi that they could use. Eventually, Arnold found me on the rooftop of the FTi building, he wanted to know who I really was and he found out it was all me. Blah blah blah, long story short, I snapped, told him I loved him, went into a confession monologue, and I kissed him. Yes, on the lips. And yes, not the first time I kissed him either."

"You've kissed him before?! How did you..."

"Simple. Scripted, directed. First kiss was during a school play, Romeo and Juliet. Classic Shakespeare story. Pretty good and well written, it's just unrealistic and was meant to be satire. Whatever. Arnold ended up having to play Romeo because all the boys in our class chickened out at the idea of kissing a girl. PLEASE! The original version had five kisses. We were just doing the abridged version, leaving in the last kiss, the kiss where Juliet kisses Romeo after she finds him dead." Helga explained, her expression betraying her tone. "So let's just say I had to get the girls to play Juliet out of the way so I could play Juliet."

"So you could kiss Arnold." Casana concluded. Helga nodded and she giggled. "That's pretty devious. I thought maybe you had some kind of secret or something. Lucky girl."

"Oh whatever. Anyway so it works, la-dee-da, I kissed him. I kissed him again on Spring Break. Long story short, we ended up winning a role on the TV show Babewatch, and I had to give him mouth-to-mouth on camera, so I kissed him. There. After that comes the FTi incident. And okay, maybe I kind of kissed him while he was sleeping one time. Come on! It was one time! Stupid football head tempting me with his pouty, delicious lips and..." She caught the brunette's shocked and amused stare and turned herself away again. "Point is, I kissed him again back there! It was just a few days ago, too. After we first got to this place. And maybe I kind of kissed him again, out of the heat of the moment, again, earlier today."

"You sure don't waste time, do you?"

"Hey, I was under pressure, okay?! It's not like I wanted to! I mean okay, I wanted to, I ALWAYS want to kiss him, but I...you know what I mean! We were on a train from Norashima, going off to Shiranami. But then some mooks just killed the engineer, detached the engine from the other cars and rode off like a couple of bandit cowboys who hijacked a train engine! So I of course was getting panicky thinking we were going to die, and so I did the stupid thing of telling Arnold yet again that I loved him, crushing any doubts I may have fed him to believe otherwise, and then I ran off the train. And then into the forest, he chased after me and then we were ambushed by those ninjas. Arnold gets kidnapped and then you and blondie over there came in and kinda saved me. So there! That's my life story. Happy now? Maybe I'll tell the rest some other day."

"Whatever you say, Helga."

A twinge of worry coursed through Helga again, making her shudder. She sighed, turning back to face her a little.

"You okay?" Casana asked her, concerned.

"Yeah, fine." Helga replied.

A knowing smile came to the older girl. "You must be pretty worried about Arnold right now. It's okay, Helga. No need to be afraid to show how you feel in front of me. I won't laugh at you or make you feel stupid. I know it's not easy to open up, especially not to a stranger. But, for what it's worth, it's okay."

Almost against her will, Helga found herself smiling a bit. "You know, that's ironic. Here I am, opening up and talking like a couple of girls to a criminal! A criminal, for crying out loud! Isn't that just soooooo dandy?"

Casana chuckled. "You're so different from most kids your age, you really are. You're intelligent, articulate, and you seem very aware of things that most kids your age wouldn't even think of. You're interesting."

"Interesting? Me? Ha! That's a laugh." Helga rolled her eyes. "When you had parents like mine, and heck, even the time I have, the things I do, you could end up like me. Hey, you were a ninja since you were a kid, I guess you know. I mean, you had to raise yourself because your parents were...ya know, gone, and you trained and I guess you studied to be a ninja... You get the point."

"That pretty much sums it up. You know, if someone told me that this right here would be happening now, probably yesterday or so, I would've thought they were crazy."

"Well doi! That IS crazy! I would've felt the same, and maybe would've socked the crazy person in the nose." Helga held up Old Betsy for good measure. "I gotta say, I guess you're not half bad. Pretty nosy, though."

"I'm a curious girl, can you blame me?" Casana shrugged. "I've seen a lot of things in my lifetime, and you're...well, one of those little things that sticks out, even if it may not seem like much. And hey, you could have easily just shut up and not told me all those things you did. I could have also, but I didn't."

"Guess not. Okay, you got me there. Still, hard to believe you're a criminal. You don't fit the description, even with all those crimes."

Casana smiled. "You can't judge a book by its cover."

Helga stared, giving a little scowl, though the corners of her lips twitched. "Fine, you got me again. You're not too bad, I guess. Kinda nice to have company while I'm sitting here waiting for that dumb football-headed geek to come back to me."

"Not working, Helga."

"Oh shut it, or you'll have to deal with Old Betsy!"

"I'm a ninja, do you honestly think you could take me down?"

"Quit it before I REALLY shove Old Betsy into your pointy nose!"

--~~--

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away...

Okay, not really.

It was getting to be later in the day, as the afternoon sun was beginning to fade from the sky, the hour of twilight slowly setting in.

"Here kid, have one."

Arnold looked up and caught the apple that was tossed at him. "Oh, thanks."

"Don't mention it." Deidara responded coolly, and sat down next to the smaller boy on the ground. He bit into his own apple, and glanced at him, seeming to be studying him curiously. "So, what's your story?"

"Huh? My story?" Arnold looked up at him, pointing to himself.

"That's what I'm asking. What's your story? You know, what were you and your little girlfriend doing out in the forest all by yourselves like that? I don't know if you knew, but going out in areas like that all by yourselves unprotected is pretty dangerous. No wonder you went and got yourself kidnapped."

"Oh. Well, it's a long story, and some of it is pretty unbelievable." Arnold admitted as he looked at his lap. "But Helga and I were on a train bound for Shiranami, and about halfway through, some ninjas apparently broke in and killed the engineer. Then they hijacked the engine and drove off with it. Helga and I..." He blushed at the memory considerably. "Um...got into an argument, and we went outside, she ran off into the forest and I went after her. Then deep inside it, we were ambushed by those ninjas. I tried to fight them off, but one of them grabbed me and knocked me out, and I woke up in a cell, where you saved me. They'd tried to use me for something, but I don't know what."

"Heh, lucky break there." Deidara remarked with a little smirk. "You were lucky there, you could've been dead."

Arnold shuddered lightly at the thought, and shook his head. "I-I guess so. I'm just glad Helga's all right. ...She IS okay, right?"

"Kid, you've been asking that several times. Relax, she's fine. My partner will take care of her. And rest assured, she likes kids and she's good with them." He shook his head then. "I'll never understand her."

"Why?" Arnold asked, curious. "Why won't you ever understand her?"

"Doesn't matter. Point is, she is who she is, yet sometimes she's like a piece of artwork I can't comprehend."

A knowing look came to Arnold's face and he sighed. "Oh. I know how that feels."

Deidara glanced at him and smirked again. "Oh, let me guess. Girl trouble? Your little girlfriend a little too much for you?"

"She's not my girlfriend! I...well, she's a girl, and she's my friend, but she's not... I mean..."

"Oh Arnold, relax. I'm just getting a rise out of you. Can't help it, it's fun." The older blonde winked at him. "Still, you and that girl...Helga, right? I don't know, you two have a thing for each other or something?"

Arnold blushed a bit. "I-It's not that simple."

"So there IS something going on."

"Not really... It's a long story, never mind. You probably won't want to hear it."

"Tch. In case you forgot kid, we're still several ways away from Lake Mononoke, it's going to get dark soon, which is why we stopped here, and we'll have to leave tomorrow early in the morning. So from now until then, we have time to kill. Nothing better to do. So go on, spill out a little monologue. It won't make a difference." Deidara shrugged. "I don't care, really."

"Well...I guess, if you don't mind hearing it. I don't really have anyone to talk to about it anyway."


	17. Stories of the Football Head

**Wow, just wow. I think this will be the longest fanfic I have ever written. :D Yay! At least, aside from my Twilight Princess novelization...but that doesn't quite count. Oh well. And now here we are, at chapter 17. YES!**

**So enjoy y'all. :D We are now coming down to Arnold's perspective for a while. Yay!**

**Oh, and here's a little fun stuff. XD Inspired by Episode 9 of Naruto The Abridged Series by Vegeta3986 and MasakoX. :D**

**Helga: JEEZ! These stupid fillers are driving me crazy!**

**Arnold: Well it's to help move the story along, Helga. And it IS Naruto...the anime has been notorious in having one too many fillers.**

**Helga: Oh, sweet! I found the remote! -Holds it up-**

**Arnold: Well that's neat. What are you going to do with it?**

**Helga: Doi, fast forward, of course! And...go!**

**-Insert fast forwarding motion video-**

**Helga: Okay...let's try...here.**

**-Stops at a random scene-**

"_**We'll have to go to that festival, if Orochimaru's subordinates are going to be there, we'll be able to spy on them undetected if we go undercover."**_

**Helga: Whoops, not far enough.**

**-More fast forwarding, this time it intermixes with other video footage-**

**Arnold: Helga, what are you doing?!**

**Helga: The button's stuck! -Grunts and groans repeatedly as she hits the remote button- There we go.**

"_**Just go slowly, hang on tight to the sides, and we'll make it. And whatever you do, DON'T look down!"**_

**Helga: Way too far!**

**-Rewinding motion ensues-**

**Helga: Okay, let's stop here!**

"_**We'll go to the Rain Village and see if Konan does have answers to-"**_

**Helga: For crying out loud!**

**-Fast forward motion ensues again-**

"_**They're planning to tear down the village, and the Zen Gardens which in turn leaves hundreds of people out of work and without a job."**_

"_**What are they going to build in its place?"**_

"_**More office branches, and several stores and eateries, making it one huge service area."**_

**-Glass drops, TV turns off-**

**Helga: Oh, you son of a-**

**Arnold: Helga!!!**

~~--~~

"It's pretty complicated, like I said. Um...hey, I know this might sound weird, but could you maybe not mention this conversation to anyone? Especially not Helga. I-I don't think she'd like that."

"A secret, huh? Well kid, you're lucky I'm good at keeping secrets. So spill, I'm all ears."

Arnold took a deep breath, looking at a lump of clay he was holding in his hands, that he'd been given to play with. This was going to be very weird to talk about to a complete stranger, someone much older than he was no less, and yet, it would be nice to have someone who wasn't involved know about this. Maybe it would do him so good. Maybe he could get good advice.

And maybe even help in coming to terms with how he felt.

"Well you were half right. I think I know now without doubt that Helga really does love me."

"Love? Wow kid, no wonder. She clearly has it bad for you. How old are you two, nine? Ten? Damn."

"Y-Yeah, we're nine."

The older blonde looked at him then, a smirk stretching at his lips. "So let me get this straight, she loves you, and you know about it?"

"Yeah." Arnold nodded, blushing a bit. "How did you know?"

"Her desperation for us to help her save you was enough of an indication. But I think it was definitely that locket she has."

"Locket? What locket?"

Deidara nodded and smirked a little more in amusement. "You didn't know? She's got a heart-shaped picture frame locket with your photo in it. She claimed it wasn't hers, another sign, she was in clear denial even when it was obvious she had a thing for you."

_Wait...could it have been that same locket that Grandpa found, the one with my picture inside it? No wait, he said it was from Grandma but then it was gone again and..._

"I didn't know she had a locket with my picture in it." He admitted, his cheeks turning pinker.

"I take it she's pretty secretive. And she's a real firecracker, quite a catch, kid. So what about you? Do you like her?"

"Um...well...I..." Arnold looked at the clay in his hands. "I don't know. I mean, I do like her, when she's nice and actually being herself, you know, but half the time she just picks on me. Calling me names, tossing spitballs at me, pulling all kinds of pranks on me every day. She has a reputation at our school of being the class bully, and she picks on me the most. She pretty much just acts like she hates me."

"Tough break, kid." Said the older blonde, shaking his head again. "But I see where you're coming from. Girls, though mostly boys, tend to tease someone when they really like them." A blush came to his own cheeks as he looked away. "It's generally a cover-up for their feelings."

"That's what my Grandpa told me. In fact, he was the first person ever to suggest that Helga teased me because she really liked me."

Deidara chuckled and looked at him then. "Sounds like your Grandpa's pretty smart."

"Yeah, he is." Arnold smiled. "He can be pretty smart when he needs to be, although sometimes the only advice he can give me is to never eat raspberries." At the other's questioning stare, he waved his hand. "Don't ask."

"Whatever. So that Helga girl loves you, but she acts like she hates you, and for some reason, you two are traveling together. What's up with that?"

"Oh, that." Arnold realized, and shook his head. "That story is really hard to believe."

"And why's that?"

"I can't even explain it properly. We're not from around here."

Deidara scoffed and created a clay model of a butterfly. "Well I guessed that. So go ahead, try me. I've seen a lot of stuff in my lifetime, and I don't think there's anything you could tell me that would take me down a notch."

"Well, I could be wrong, but it has to do with the theory of there being a multiverse. You know, the theory of there being parallel dimensions?"

"Oh, yeah. I know that theory." Deidara released the butterfly, much to Arnold's own surprise yet again, and smirked as he let it explode a few feet away up in the air. It wasn't a big explosion, but enough to make the ground shake a little. "It hasn't exactly been proven, but it's pretty possible if you think about it. So what's that got to do with anything?"

Arnold hesitated, but decided to just go for it. "Back home, which I'm guessing is a different dimension from here, my best friend Gerald and I found this strange amulet that opened up like a locket. We ran into Helga on the way home, and she and I were fighting over it until it fell to the ground. It had opened, and this bright light was shining from it, we touched it to pick it up, and the light got brighter. But it didn't hurt to look at it. And then wen it cleared, we found ourselves in a completely different place. It was this world here, we were in...um...that place, Konoha, I think."

NOW the older blonde looked surprised. "You're kidding."

"I wish I was. But I don't know how to explain it. See, we also bought a few maps, and they were nothing like the maps we had back home. It's part of what led me to believe that somehow, probably with that strange amulet, that we ended up in a parallel dimension. We first ended up in Konoha, in the middle of the training grounds, apparently, and found out later on that it was a village of ninjas. It was odd because there was modern technology we knew about from back home, but it all seemed different somehow. I don't know, I can't really explain it." Arnold shook his head and rolled the lump of clay into a ball. "I mean, it was weird. After that, we left and traveled for a while and came to this other village, Norashima...and we were there for a couple of days before we left on the train, and then, well I told you that part already. We're pretty lost here, and trying to find answers as to how we can get back home, if we can."

"Shit. You're in one hell of a pickle, kid." Deidara remarked, looking down at him, a thoughtful frown set on his features. "But I think we can help you there. Casana knows about it more than I do, so once we meet back with the girls, I'll bet we can fish up some information about this whole thing."

"Really? You think so?" Arnold brightened, for the first time in a while, and felt his usual hope and optimism returning. "That'd be great, if we can find some kind of lead about the amulet, or some way to get home." He felt a little better then, and spoke his curiosity as it occurred to him. "Who's Casana?"

"Oh, no one really. She's my partner, the one looking after your friend Helga there. She wanted to run out and try to save you, but I talked her out of it and came to rescue you instead. She's really nice, I think you and her will get along just fine." He winked playfully.

"Oh." Arnold gave a nod. "Well, that was really nice of you guys to help us like you are. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"Nah. It's cool, kid. No need for that, really. When Casana's protective and helpful instincts kick in, there's no escaping it. Especially nowadays." The former Akatsuki member gave a little smile and shook his head. "She has a habit of helping even stray animals, on top of that."

"Really?"

"No joke, kid."

"That's pretty nice of her. I do that too sometimes, when I find an injured animal on the street, sometimes I take it home and nurse it back to health, or take it to the vet."

Deidara looked at him and chuckled. "Yep. You guys are going to get along fine."

"I guess." The younger boy smiled a little too. "So what do you guys do, anyway? You're ninjas, right? You have a ninja headband."

"Yeah, we are. Nowadays, we just travel around and make our abilities useful to people. It's a pretty sweet deal, you know." Deidara made another clay model, and looked up at the darkening, golden-orange sky.

"That sounds really exciting." Arnold remarked. "What happened to your headband? It's got a scratch mark on it."

The older blonde shrugged and gave a small sigh. "Let's just say I'm a missing nin, kid. The scratch across my village's symbol kind of means I've severed all ties with it. That's usually what happens to a missing nin. Both Casana and I are missing nins, we came from the same village, the Village Hidden in the Stones. It's a long story, I won't bore you with it now."

Arnold's curiosity was getting the better of him, but he decided to let his good instincts kick in and drop it for now. "Okay. I won't force it out of you if you don't want to talk about it now." He paused, thinking of what else they could talk about without reverting back to the previous topic. "Um, so what are you guys planning here?"

"Oh, that. Yeah, we're going to meet with the girls over at Lake Monoke, some ways away from here. It's a pretty obscure and safe place, we'll go there and meet them there. Then I guess figure out a course of action or something." Deidara said, and shrugged a little. "Point is though, we'll get you two kids back together so you won't worry yourselves so much."

A little blush tinted his cheeks. "I guess I am kind of worried about Helga. But at least she's safe, so that's good to know."

"You're something, kid. You're awfully nice to a girl who's tormented you like she has."

"Well, I don't know, I guess it's just who I am. And I know Helga's a good person deep down, she's just afraid to show it because she's very insecure about herself. Sometimes her bad behaviour is hard to overlook, and sometimes we forget how nice she really is on the inside, but I know she has a good heart and a lot of talent and potential. It's just sad she doesn't feel she can express it, and just be herself. She's really not that bad once you get to know her. And I guess...I don't know, I've always felt a strange connection with her, and I've always felt intrigued by her. I don't really know why. Does that make any sense to you, or is that just weird?"

Deidara paused, thinking about that for a moment. A strange look came into his eyes and he shook his head again. "No, it makes sense. I guess it happens to people, having a kind of relationship with someone that's pretty much something even they don't understand."

"Oh, okay. That's a good way to put it, I guess. I never understood. I mean, she's mean to me a lot, but I can never stay mad at her or find it in me to resent her for what she does. I do ignore her most of the time, but no matter what I do, she always finds a way to push my buttons. It's weird, because she's so mean, and yet I really care about her a lot."

"You did say earlier that you know she has a good side to her, so you know that she's not exactly true to how she acts, making it easier to show compassion and care toward her." Deidara offered. "But don't take my word for it, just calling it as I see it.

"That makes sense." Arnold realized, and nodded in agreement. "Well, I guess if I just keep being kind to her, I'll see more of her good side and maybe I'll figure out how I feel about her."

Deidara snickered. "Really? You're actually going to try to figure out if you like her or not? I'm surprised you're not just brushing it off."

"I know, me too. Thing is though, I guess a part of it might have to do with the fact that I really...don't have a lot of luck with girls." He admitted, looking away in embarrassment.

"Why? Is it your head?"

"Not really...at least not to my knowledge. I have crushes on girls quite a bit sometimes. This past year, one of the ones I remember most was this girl in the sixth grade at our school, Ruth McDougal. I liked her because she was really pretty, and...well, I guess she also kind of reminded me of my mom. I pretty much lost interest in her back on Valentine's Day, when I realized she was really a spoiled girl who was obsessed with her hair, and really didn't seem to be that smart at all. I wrote her a poem and signed it Anonymous, you know, meaning that who wrote it is a secret, and she actually thought that it was some real guy with that name."

"Oh, that type." Deidara noted, making a face and shaking his head. "Those girls always bored me to death. All beauty and no brains."

"It was pretty sad, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Then I liked a substitute teacher, Miss Felter. She was really pretty, and said that she liked the name Arnold. So I had a crush on her for a while, and it even led to a pretty embarrassing misunderstanding, that I actually thought she was interested and wanted to have me over."

"You do know that would make her a pedophile, right?"

"A what...?"

"An adult 18 or over that's with an underaged, prepubescent child, which is, I might add, illegal in most places."

Arnold's eyes widened in shock. "O-Oh! Oh... Wow. I had no idea."

"Well now ya do, kid. And you would've been jailbait."

"I guess so..." Arnold sighed. "Anyway, I also liked this other girl, Lila. It all started a few months ago. Someone wrote 'Arnold Loves Lila' on a wall in chalk, and everyone thought _I _wrote it, including Lila. But I didn't. I honestly didn't think of her that way back then. We were just friendly acquaintances, and that's about it. So she started to hang out with me and get to know me, a little too much. I wanted to tell her it wasn't me and that I didn't feel that way about her, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. After a while, I couldn't keep quiet and I told her the truth, and she was hurt. Then later, I thought about everything we did together, and I realized that I actually did like her. Well, like her like her. I met up with her later in the park to tell her how I felt, and she said that she'd been thinking it over and didn't feel that way, that she didn't like me like me, she just liked me."

"Whoa, ow. You were dumped at nine years old. That's as big a bummer as a failed explosion."

Arnold nodded and then looked a little funny. "And then Helga..." His eyes lit up in realization.

The older blonde's brows rose with interest. "This should be good. What'd she do this time?"

"She fell out of a tree nearby, and claimed she had been exercising. The funny thing is, she actually made me feel better. It was one of those moments that she was actually pretty nice." Arnold smiled a little then. "It's strange, there are moments where Helga really helps me, and sometimes when I can't seem to get advice from my Grandpa or my best friend, she's actually there and gives good advice when she wants to. At one point, she even tried to get me and Lila back together after she fell for my cousin, Arnie. See, my cousin Arnie lives in the country, and he looks kind of like me except...different. He's kind of weird, too. He has a hobby in counting things, collecting lint, playing with dirt, and really likes plain-flavoured gum. He's pretty boring, I guess."

"Ugh, people like that drive me nuts. What did that Lila girl see in him?"

"I have no idea!" Arnold exclaimed, and shook his head. "It upset me at the time, because there I was trying to win Lila over, and Arnie just walks in and already she's in love. She claimed he was that 'oh so special someone' she was looking for, that he was likable and attractive. I never understood it, to be honest."

"Hell, I don't understand it myself." Deidara agreed. "So where's Helga fit in all this?"

"Well, she sat with me on the bus one morning and kind of made me feel better again. She said that girls tend to like guys who ignore them, which was kind of the case with Arnie, since he just pretty much accepted Lila being with him and didn't seem to pay much attention to her. Then she pretended that we were boyfriend and girlfriend to make Lila jealous. Helga had me brush her hair, which was actually pretty soft, and I rubbed her feet on the bus, and we shared a piece of gum." He smiled and laughed a little. "Now that I know she loves me, she did that just to be near me for a while, and she was even trying to get Lila and I back together, even if she loved me herself."

"Damn, she's one hell of a girl, and definitely different from most girls."

"Tell me about it, now that I know... I guess it's pretty shocking just how deep her love is. But anyway, the funny thing is, when it was all over, Arnie fell in love with Helga!" Arnold began to laugh harder. "That's just...I know it's not funny but... it is! Can you believe that?!"

Deidara stared at him weirdly, unsure of how to respond to all that. In all honesty, he was pretty surprised by how intrigued and curious he was, more so than he'd expected to be, about the kid he rescued. It was strange, and very foreign, but at the same time, it was kind of...fun. He was so different from other kids his age, he could see that the moment he met him. Why he seemed to care so much about this kid's personal life was beyond him.

Now seeing Arnold laughing like this was starting to have an effect on him. He cracked a smile, snickering through his nose. Before long, he broke into chuckles that soon exploded into laughter, true genuine laughter, something that didn't happen very often. It was pretty funny, now that he thought about it, surprisingly. Helga loved Arnold, but Arnold loved Lila. Lila loved Arnie, but Arnie loved Helga. That was quite a love square! And at nine years old, no less.

"Looks like you were caught in a love square, kid." Deidara remarked after his laughter died down.

"I guess." Arnold said, catching his breath.

"So what happened with that Lila girl?"

"Oh, I stopped liking her liking her a couple months ago. My best friend Gerald has a little sister named Timberly, and she's four years old. She had a crush on me because I said she could come biking with us one time. Ever since then, she was pretty much convinced that I was her boyfriend. It was kind of nice, but it felt a little weird and embarrassing. Lila thought it was pretty cute how I was hanging out with Timberly like I was, so I...um, well, I hate to say it, but I kind of used Timerbly in order to try to gain Lila's affection. I guess you can say I made a pretty selfish decision." He sighed a little. "I regretted it later, though. After a while, I felt bad for what I was doing and told Timberly the truth, and Lila overheard, and said she was pretty disappointed in me for what I did. I can understand, though, she had the right to be. But, well, that's when I stopped crushing on her." Arnold looked down at the lump of clay in his hands, and then up at the darkening sky. "I don't know, now that I think about it, I don't think it could have worked with Lila."

"Why's that?"

"To be honest, she was...well, a little too much of a good thing. She was so nice and sweet, outgoing, smart, she was the perfect girl. She didn't seem to have one single flaw, and never seemed to be anything but happy."

"Oh...that kind of girl. She must be one of those girls that sees the world through rose-coloured glasses." Deidara realized, blowing back a strand of his hair that got in his face. "Having illusions that everything is perfect, and blocking out anything that's bad, ignoring it all."

Arnold pondered that for a moment. That pretty much seemed to describe Lila, seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses. He could understand trying to see the best in everyone and everything, but at the same time, he knew there were bad aspects out there in the world, and you couldn't ignore them, especially when they were right in your face.

"As nice and sweet as girls like that can be, nah. Don't think so." Deidara went on, shaking his head. "Not my type. I guess to be honest for a second here, I'll pick Casana over a girl like that any day. She may be sweet as honey, but she knows the world isn't perfect and actually has a personality. Your Lila girl sounds pretty nice for the most part, but she's got a lot of growing up to do before she can even step into the love department, if you ask me."

He glanced at the older blonde, considering his words. "Yeah, I guess you have a point there."

"Now that Helga girl friend of yours, I don't know about you, but she's got it."

"Got what?"

"She has an interesting spark about her, put it that way." Deidara winked at him again. "So how'd Helga's confession come about? By the way you talk about her, being a bully and all, she obviously kept it a secret, like you said."

"Yeah, she did...for six years." Arnold nodded. "Well, it's a long story. It happened not too long ago. There was a company known as Future Tech Industries who were threatening to tear down our neighbourhood in order to make way for a new megamall. Me and my friends rallied against it, trying hard to save the neighbourhood, but everything we did pretty much failed. I found out through my Grandpa that the boarding house we live in was actually a historical landmark, so that meant they wouldn't be able to tear it down. We just needed the document to prove it. Then later on, Gerald and I received a call from someone who called himself Deep Voice, since he kept his identity secret and had a deep voice. He had inside information on the FTi, and knew where we could find the document we needed, since apparently Scheck had it, he was the CEO and the guy behind it all. Long story short, after some sneaking around and investigating, we later found out that Scheck burned the document. At that point, I knew we'd failed and I was ready to just give up, which was hard for me to admit, since I'm always the one telling everyone not to give up. Then I got another call from Deep Voice, who helped me back onto my feet and told me that since the FTI building had security cameras all over the place, I could get the next best thing, video evidence of Scheck burning the document. So Gerald was waiting outside, and I managed to get the tape. At the time, we had less than half an hour before the bulldozers rolled in to tear down the neighbourhood, so we had to hurry."

"Wait a minute. Bulldozers? Bull...dozers? All right kid, you mind explaining what the hell a bulldozer is? It sounds like a bull that dozes."

Arnold was baffled for a moment, and then remembered that this world most likely didn't have vehicles, other than trains, as far as he knew.

"Oh, right. Sorry. A bulldozer is a pretty big vehicle, you drive it kind of like a train, only it's smaller than a train, but it's pretty powerful. It has a huge...kind of a large square shovel on the front of it and..." Arnold scratched his head. "I'll draw a picture of one if I ever find some paper and a pencil. I had dropped my bag and I think Helga has it. Anyway, so Deep Voice called me again, and told me that I couldn't leave the building since all the stairways were swarming with guards. As I was talking to him, I looked around the corner and I could see someone outside on the rooftop. I was pretty curious, so I went out there, and I saw a man in a trench coat and a hat...and he was talking into a voice box. It was Deep Voice. So I kind of cornered him and demanded to know who he really was, I guess I was a little too curious and fed up with the whole mystery of it all. I could see then that Deep Voice was only a little taller than I was, so he definitely wasn't an adult. He backed away and then fell off a pair of stilts and...well, he was actually a she. Deep Voice was Helga."

"Somehow, I saw that coming, and yet I'm impressed to say the least. She's got the makings of a promising ninja, if you ask me."

Arnold chuckled at that. "I wouldn't be surprised."

Deidara winked again. "So then what happened?"

"It got a little more intense after that. I kept asking her why she did it, because after all, her dad, who owns his own beeper store, was going to get rich off the whole deal with the FTi, and she'd been rubbing it in our faces all month long. And then she just comes out and helps me and Gerald to save the neighbourhood, all over getting rich. I guess you can see why I was pretty shocked about the whole thing, since she always claimed to hate me. Not many nine year old girls would actually do that, even if they did like a boy. I guess that sounds pretty weird to you, doesn't it?"

He looked up at the older blonde, and saw that a shocked look had come into his eyes for a fleeting moment, as if realizing something surprising. It was gone as quick as it came and he shook his head.

"No, it doesn't. I mean, I guess not."

"Oh, okay." Arnold decided not to question why he seemed so shocked all of a sudden. "Well then Helga made all these lame excuses, and well, I just kept on interrogating her until she snapped. I'll never forget it, because she said 'What else are you supposed to do when someone you love is in trouble?!'. It threw me off guard for a minute, and then she said she loved me. She backed me into a corner, and was telling me that she stalked me night and day, built shrines to me in a closet and filled volumes of books with poems about me. She'd been in love with me all this time, and then she..." He blushed deeply. "Kissed me on the mouth."

Returning to his usual register, though now with amused surprise, Deidara looked back down at him and snickered, a light smirk crossing his features. "Wow, she loves you and she kisses you on the lips? Not many kids your age do that."

"No, we don't. I didn't really think much about kissing a girl on the lips at the time. But now that I think about it, I don't know, it's not so weird to me anymore. Helga's kissed me a few times, I guess in a way I've gotten used to the idea and-"

"Wait. She's kissed you other times?"

"Oh! Yeah. ...The kiss on the FTI rooftop was the third time she kissed me." Arnold blushed hard. "...She was actually my first kiss. Our first kiss was during the school play when we were Romeo and Juliet, and we had to kiss during the last scene. She kissed me for over a minute, and I always wondered why she did, but now I know why." His blush didn't waver. "The second time she kissed me was during Spring Break, and it was actually this other time she helped me, and was looking out for me. There was this really pretty older girl, Summer, who acted as if she liked me in order for me to build her a sand castle that would win the beach's sand castle competition, so she could win the starring role on the show Babewatch. Helga was vacationing there with her family also, and she tried to warn me about what Summer was really up to, but you know, at the time I thought she was just being mean and trying to ruin things for me. But later on she brought me to where Summer and her boyfriend were talking, and I overheard her plans. Helga was right, and I felt bad for not believing her. I told Summer off, and then Helga and I entered the competition together and we built a sandcastle, and ended up winning. We won the guest star roles, and during the taping, she had to pretend to give me mouth-to-mouth and...well... Then earlier today, actually, we were on the train, like I said before, and while we were in the panic after the engineer was killed and the train engine was hijacked, Helga was really scared and thought we were going to die. So she confessed she loved me, again, and then kissed me."

It barely registered to the boys that night had fallen, the area completely dark, with stars studding the sky above them. Deidara, pretty surprised by all this, managed to snap out of it for a moment and stood up, motioning for him to stay put. He went over to some trees, collecting a few sticks and some rocks, and came back over, setting them up in bundle. He then took out a pack of matches from his pocket, lit one, and placed it in the bundle, lighting a fire.

"That's a lot to take in, kid. You're nine years old and you have a girl in love with you and kissing you more times than you can count. Wow." Deidara remarked.

Arnold gave a slow nod. "It's overwhelming, and still pretty shocking. I know it sounds weird, coming from a kid and all."

"Nah, it's just surprising." Deidara shrugged. He didn't seem to know why he was so interested in something beyond art. "So that's your little love story."

"In a nutshell, yeah." Arnold murmured, staring at the fire apprehensively.

He gave a little smirk. "I guess you miss her, huh?"

"Huh? Well...yeah, I know it's only been a few hours since I was kidnapped, okay, maybe longer than that, and we've been together since this whole thing started, so I guess it's kind of weird that I miss her. I just hope she's okay."

"Relax kid, she's fine. Casana's one of the strongest ninjas I know, and she'll protect Helga with her life."

Arnold gave a grateful smile before staring back into the fire, though feeling reassured and relieved about everything, as well as a spark of a new hope, he still couldn't help but miss being around the pigtailed girl who tormented him for so long, and yet loved him so much.

--

**Phew!! This chapter took a little longer...and it's now nearly five in the morning as I write this. My God, I need to stop doing this.**

**ANYWAY! I have a question. Some people have voted on my poll about whether Helga should fully kiss Arnold, or a happy medium greeting (like a kiss on the cheek) should be initiated when they're finally reunited...and I want to ask you all once more, right here, what should be done about that. Because honestly, although now four people have voted kiss, and three have voted happy medium, I'm still conflicted. XD**

**So...yeah. Bye! :D For now.**


	18. Connecting

**:D All right! And we're back...again! **

**I first want to give credit to a friend of mine from deviantART, Kamden. It was thanks to her Deidara-centric doujinshi "Of Insanity and Inspiration" that she offered an interesting perspective on his background. I wanted to incorporate that into this story, and of course, I decided to ask her permission to do so. I was going to give her credit even if I didn't ask, but you know, I wanted to let her know first hand that she inspired me! **

**Thank you very much again, Sarah! I truly appreciate you letting me use this idea. :)**

**So, here we're going to have a chapter that offers his backstory, since we know SO LITTLE about it!! Well, we know a thing or two, yeah? And that's why chapter 359 (forget the episode...) was awesome, since it was a first look on his past! :D SQUEE! His fans went crackers for that, myself included. After all, hey, it's not often we get a good look on a complex character!**

**Unfortunately we didn't get much. DX Ugh! Stupid stupid... And, and, WHAT IS HIS LAST NAME?! **

**Deidara: I've got one. It's-(DELETED BY KISHIMOTO)**

**Damn you, Kishimoto.**

**Oh well. It does leave room for our imagination! So this will be my take on it, mixed in with Sarah's.**

**And one last thing, I thought it'd be interesting for our two boys to connect in a few ways, you know? That's kind of why the parents issue is brought up. :D**

**So here we go!**

--~~--~~--

"So relax yourselves, it's all good. I've got him, and he's fine." Deidara spoke in into the radio set.

"That's good, I'm glad you two are all right." replied Casana's voice on the other line.

"So you can tell Little Miss Pigtails that she can keep her shirt on and quit worrying so much."

"Hey! I heard that, you girly boy! I dare you to say that to my face!" Helga suddenly yelled on the other line, making Arnold laugh a little.

"I'm trembling." Deidara said sarcastically. "Oh yes, very much so. Calm down, kid, your little boyfriend is just fine."

"WHAT?! Shut up! As if I'd ever...ooohh....put the football head on right now!"

"Heh, sure. Have fun." Deidara snickered and handed the radio set to Arnold. "Here, she wants to talk to you."

"Okay." Arnold said, taking it. "Helga?"

"Arnold! Wow, I can't believe you actually survived! Haha! So what happened? What was it like? Did you kick their butts?"

"Well, not really. I was knocked out most of the time, and I woke up in a jail cell, with my wrists in chains. I was trapped for a while, and then later Deidara saved me." He shuddered slightly upon remembering the pretty traumatizing and yet somehow amazing sight of seeing the kidnappers get blown up like that. "It was pretty weird. But I'm okay, though."

"Well good! I'd hate to bring you back home in pieces! Come on, I'm not that heartless, you know! Whatever. You better make it back to us in one piece!" Helga warned.

Arnold chuckled a little. "Okay, Helga. I'll do that. Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"Oh yes, Arnold. I'm in so much pain right now. The fact I'm even able to talk to you right now is a miracle. Well of COURSE I'm okay, football head! Why wouldn't I be?! I'm fan-freaking-tastic! Oh yes, life is full of fluffy kittens, gum drops and ice cream!"

Yep. Same old Helga.

Still, he couldn't help but feel relief and comfort at hearing her voice again.

"So where are you guys anyway?" Helga changed the subject.

"Um...we're...." Arnold looked to the older blonde questioningly.

"From the designated meeting place, Lake Mononoke, we're about 350 kilometres north west. We'll head out bright and early tomorrow."

Arnold nodded and repeated this into the radio transmitter.

"Okay, we're heading out the rest of the way tomorrow anyway. Heh heh, miss me, football head? Couldn't go a day without little ol' me?" She teased.

Even though she was teasing, not expecting his answer to be what it was, he couldn't help but be a little honest. He wanted to make her feel better, anyway. What better way than to tell her something she deep down wanted to hear, that was the truth? "Yeah, I know it's only been about a day, but I do miss you. I was really worried about you. I guess I've gotten so used to us being together since we've been here in this place, that it was a pretty big surprise to be separated. I'm just glad you're okay."

Silence had befallen on her end, and Deidara snickered lightly from where he was sitting.

"Helga?"

He could've sworn he heard her sigh happily on the other line.

"What?!" she said then, reverting to her usual self.

"Nothing. I'll see you tomorrow, and we'll be able to figure this whole thing out by then."

"We'd better! Guess I'll see you tomorrow, not that it matters."

Arnold smiled knowingly. "Whatever you say, Helga. Sweet dreams."

"Would you quit with the mushy talk?! You're making me nauseous!"

"Sorry, Helga. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"...Night, Arnold. Be careful." the line then went dead.

"She's quite a girl, isn't she?" Deidara snickered a little, taking the radio and putting it away.

"Yeah. She is. She's different from a lot of girls I know, that's for sure." Arnold murmured, laying back on the grass and staring up at the stars. "Have you ever been in love?"

The question struck the taller blonde, and he looked away, blushing a bit. It wasn't something he normally talked about, especially not in front of a kid. Come to think of it, he never talked about it to anyone at all. Not even when Tobi had actually correctly guessed the assumption. No way, no way he could talk about that! It was silly. It was a secret, anyway.

But then again, maybe he could return the favour. What did he have to lose? Arnold was a good kid, and he definitely didn't seem like the type to blab out secrets, especially not to the source of the secret. Besides, he opened up to him when he clearly didn't have to, but he did anyway. Apparently it felt good to talk about these kinds of things with someone. Maybe he needed to finally get it out?

Deidara sighed, shaking his head. He couldn't believe what he was even doing, actually opening up about something personal. And to a KID no less. He was supposed to be a fearsome terrorist bomber, not a lovesick sap!

Still, his mouth betrayed him as he answered the younger boy's question.

"Yeah." he said simply. "Yeah, I'm in love with someone. So what?"

"Nothing. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." Arnold coaxed. "I was just curious. I'm sorry."

Glancing at him, Deidara exhaled through his nose, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "You're a curious kid, Arnold. I guess I should've figured that about you. Oh well, I never talked about it to anyone before. You may as well be the first. You asked, anyway."

"Only if you want to tell me."

"Tch, doesn't matter anyway. She doesn't feel the same way."

"She doesn't?"

"Trust me. She deserves better." Deidara said, a tint of bitterness in his tone. "All I've ever done is put her through hell."

Arnold's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Who is she, anyway?"

"...My partner. Casana." the older blonde looked away again.

"You're in love with her?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you think she doesn't love you back?"

"Like I said, she deserves better than me. I've put her through hell. She had dreams and achievements, and I pretty much shattered it all. Not that I wanted to. Besides, she's way out of my league. A work of art that I can't even destroy, put it that way. She's practically my polar opposite, and really just not criminal material." Despite his bitter tone, his eyes softened a little. "She's sweet and kind, would rather help and defend people than kill them, intelligent, tactful, and yet she won't take lip from anyone when it counts. She had so much going for her, but she threw her life away because of me. Come on, really, why would a girl like her fall for a terrorist artist like me? Exactly."

Arnold paused, letting that sink in, and shook his head. "I don't know, you're giving her too much credit, and yourself too little. You're still a human being, and that doesn't stop you from earning someone's love."

"Kid, you don't even know me." Deidara replied bitterly. "I'm not some lovesick fool pining after what we could have been. I blow up worthy pieces of art, I treat my opponents like dirt without a second thought. I can't deny I love Casana like I do, but it'll just put a damper on me. Besides, it's better this way. She deserves a man who could make her dreams come true. I couldn't even come close."

"Well...has she said she didn't feel that way about you?"

"Honestly? Nope. We never talked about love. She never said outright that she didn't feel the same way, but I think I get the idea."

"You never talked about it with her?"

"It's complicated, kid. But it never came up, and really, I don't know, I just couldn't bring it up, I guess. It doesn't matter though, so I don't worry. I don't spend hours pining about it, like I said. I don't mope."

Arnold looked to his companion sympathetically and then sat up from the grass, reaching up and placing his hand on his shoulder.

"I know you're probably not looking for pity, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry to hear all that. I know how it feels, to be in love with someone and they don't feel the same way. I mean...well, I guess I can't compare, since I'm just a kid and haven't had an honest love interest, but you know."

Deidara glanced at him again, his gaze neutral. "It's fine, kid. Like I said, I don't mope about it. It's just a silly thing, I know it'll pass."

"How long have you been in love with her?"

"I fell in love with her after we became friends when we were kids. But I didn't know it at the time." He shook his head. "I didn't realize it until much later under some certain circumstances."

"What circumstances?"

Deidara shook his head again, an unreadable gaze coming to his features. "You don't want to know, Arnold. Trust me."

"Well, if you don't want to tell me, I won't force it out of you." Arnold said patiently. "But anyway, if you've loved her for this long...how old are you now?"

"Twenty. I knew her since I was seven."

"Okay, so you've loved her for a long time. I don't know, if it's lasted this long, I don't think it'll pass. It's more than just a crush, isn't it?"

"I figured it was just a crush." Deidara shrugged. "But I guess not! It doesn't matter though, I'll live. We're together now, and that's fine with me. I'll just enjoy it until one day we part ways."

"You might part ways?"

"Well I know she won't want to travel around forever. She has dreams, you know. I know one day she'll finally step up and be more assertive in what she wants. She needs to do that, you know. She's followed in my shadow ever since I left our village. She's a strong girl, and I know she has a spine. She just needs to use it."

Arnold pondered this for a moment, frowning thoughtfully, before he spoke. "It sounds like she really cares about you."

"That's an understatement." Deidara scoffed, a little smile on his face. "Well, I can't blame her. We've been friends a long time, and I was pretty much the only person in her life that actually cared about her. Back home, our village shunned her and pretty much feared her because of her bloodline. She was picked on mercilessly by the other kids because of it, and adults always turned a blind eye and a deaf ear on her." He frowned then, his fists clenching.

"They picked on her and shunned her just because of who she is?"

"That's the gist of it."

"That's..." Arnold shook his head, feeling a light tinge of anger rising in him. "I can't believe people do that. Judging someone they don't understand like that."

"People can be stupid, kid." Deidara said nonchalantly. "I've gotten to know that for a while."

"What about her parents? Didn't they do anything about it?"

"Oh." Deidara realized, and scratched his head. "Yeah, I forgot to mention that her family is dead. They've been dead since she was six."

Needless to say, Arnold was stunned. Dead? Dead?! He knew fully well that there were people out there who had parents that were no longer living, and he knew a few, but they were mostly much older. Still, hearing about it was always something sad to think, and it reminded him once more of how it felt not to have parents. Though uncertainty was a larger factor in his case, it still remained the same, living life without parents.

He couldn't imagine what it must've been like, for them to be dead and knowing it full well. She must've felt an empty void in her life, a void that only the love of parents could fill. He knew it, he definitely felt it.

"Wow. I'm sorry." Arnold murmured softly, a sad look coming to his face. "...I know how that feels, not having parents. What happened to them?"

"They were killed by a band of rogue ninjas who invaded her home place, Airisu Valley, which was where her entire family resided." Deidara explained. "It was known to be the Airisu Valley Massacre. Casana was fortunate, she survived since she was hidden in an underground pantry. Well, her entire family was killed and she was the only one left." He shook his head. "She was pretty traumatized."

His heart sank, and even though he never met this girl, he felt utmost sympathy for her. He couldn't imagine what that must have been like, having your entire family killed just like that. It tugged at his heartstrings, and he couldn't even think about it. Nothing could have possibly been worse than for your whole family to be murdered in a sick genocide. Arnold felt it eat up in his gut and he shook his head frantically to rid himself of such thoughts.

This entire funk he was stuck in was starting to take its toll, and he knew it. But he took a few deep breaths, reminding himself to calm down and to do what he always did. Look at the bright side. Remember what you had. And he did.

"You okay, kid?" Deidara looked at him. "I guess it's all a little too much for a kid like you."

"No, no. I'm okay." Arnold assured, laying back on the grass. "It's just all so unexpected, what's been happening the past few days. It was pretty shocking, for someone to lose their family like that. I can only imagine how that must feel."

"Yeah, for sure. Well, she made it through. Like I said, she's strong."

Despite it all, he managed a smile. "I guess she does what I do, looking at the bright side."

"You can say that. Funny though, she keeps saying over and over that I pretty much saved her life." a scoff escaped the older blonde. "Well granted, I've saved her life before, but back then, all I pretty much did was approach her and ask what was wrong. She was six years old when I first met her, it was some days after she came to the village. She was in the park, sitting on the side of the path, crying her eyes out. At the time I was walking by, and I saw her there. I don't know, I guess my curiosity got the better of me. I went over to her and asked her why she was crying, and she looks up at me, and I guess she was scared, thinking I'd tease and pick on her too." he snickered lightly at that. "And yet I do that to her. After that, I pretty much took her under my wing, saying I'd look out for her. I guess that kind of started our bond. I even gave her a headband that I found discarded on the ground the other day that was still intact. So I gave it to her, and wouldn't you know it, she still wears it today."

"I guess it meant a lot to her." Arnold murmured, and smiled. "You were her first friend, and I guess she really cares about you. Because she got it from you, it's more than just a headband, it's something special that has a lot of good memories. A piece of someone she really cares about. I guess she doesn't have a lot of people to care for."

Deidara looked down at him, and then down at the fire. "Nah, she does have a few, but I guess not quite like she wants. She misses her family, her parents and her little brother. That's pretty much a void you can't fill. At least that's what she tells me. I don't know if that makes sense to you or not, but it's possible."

Arnold shook his head. "No, that actually makes a lot of sense. I can tell you why, if you want to hear it. I..." He paused, realizing he never had spoken about his parents to anyone before. His friends knew he didn't have parents, but he never went into details about it. He wasn't sure, should he talk about it?

"If you want, I guess." said Deidara, glancing at him.

Well, then again, the older of the two did speak of something difficult, his love life, or lack thereof, and he'd never spoken of it to anyone. Maybe he could return the favour.

It would do him some good, anyway. Wouldn't it?

"My parents..." He touched his hat lightly and sat up. "They disappeared a long time ago when I was a baby. My mom was a doctor, and my dad was an Anthropologist, and they went on a lot of adventures together after they met, mostly in the San Lorenzo jungle. They eventually were saved by a tribe known as the Green Eyes, and they often helped them in return for what they did. Mom and Dad also put together a medicine that helped cure the sleeping sickness epidemic that had spread to the Green Eyes, and... Well, soon they got married and then had me. They did try to raise me in San Lorenzo, but they realized that the jungle wasn't a good place to raise a family, so they went home, to where I live right now, and moved into the boarding house with my grandparents, my dad's parents, and the other boarders. We had a happy life for a while...and then one day, my parent's friend, his name's Eduardo and he went to college with dad, came and told them that the sleeping sickness had come back and the Green Eyed people needed their help, they were their only hope. I found this all out in my dad's journal, and I found out how hard it was to leave home, to leave me behind. So, they left me with my grandparents and...their plane was never found. They never came back. Since then, my grandparents raised me. And don't get me wrong, I love them so much, and I know they love me too, and they've done the best they could, and I'll never forget that...but I guess I really just want my parents, my real parents to come home, so we can all be a family again. What's worse about this, is that I don't know what happened to them...if they're alive or not."

Arnold sighed, looking down at his lap miserably. It did feel good to open up about his parents, but still, thinking about it was definitely not his favourite thing to think about. It reminded him once more of the uncertainty of the situation, the fact that Parent's Day at school, could never truly be celebrated, he could never give his parents a Mother's Day or Father's Day card.

He had an empty void in his life that only his parents could fill.

If they were dead...he wouldn't know what he'd do. Of course, he'd be glad to know for sure and not have to sit around hoping anymore, but it would undoubtedly tear him apart. Then again, he didn't want to think about it. It was just too horrible.

A strong hand came onto his shoulder, and Arnold met the single visible blue eye of the older blonde, who was now looking down at him with a strange emotion that seemed so foreign, at least to his features it was.

In a soft voice, he said,

"Strange, I know how you feel, Arnold."

It snapped Arnold out of his miserable trance, as curiosity and empathy now filled him, wondering what he meant by that.

"You do?"

Deidara nodded. "You know, it's funny. I never thought I'd be talking about this to a kid. Especially under these circumstances. I don't even know why I am. But whatever, not like I got anything to lose if I talk about it. Long story short, I don't know what happened to my parents, either. I don't even know if they're dead or alive. Not that it really matters. It's been fifteen years, I've lived."

"...What happened to them?"

"No idea. It wasn't even them. It was me. When I was five years old, because I had grasped the use of chakra somewhat, I was pretty much a promising ninja when they evaluated me. My parents had a lot of debts, and so the Tsuchikage, that damned stubborn old man, offered to pay off their debts if they sold me to the village, where I'd be trained and raised as a ninja. So my parents did sell me, at least for what I was worth, I heard, and after that, I never saw them again. Like I said though, it doesn't even really matter anymore."

A strange look came to the taller boy and he looked away again, this time up at the sky, at the moon. Arnold watched him for a moment, frowning lightly in confusion and concern.

"They sold you? Just like that?"

"Yep."

"...Why would they do that? I can see why, but couldn't there have been another way to pay off their debts?"

"It's a complicated world, kid. Especially when you're a ninja." Deidara said dismissively. "Don't worry yourself over it. It's been fifteen years. I've survived."

Arnold shook his head, and lay back on the grass. "I'm sure they must've loved you... At least in their own way."

"Who knows, I definitely don't. I don't even really remember them that well. Okay, I remember some things, and I know they weren't all that bad at all. My mom was nice and caring. I don't remember my dad so much, he was out on missions a lot of the time. But beyond that, not much." he shrugged a bit. "Did you know that sometimes, subconsciously, guys like girls when they remind them of their mothers? Like you when you liked that one girl, Ruth, right? You said she reminded you of your mom?"

"Yeah. But what are you trying to say?"

"To be honest, Casana kind of reminds me of my mom. She looks a bit like her, with the hair and the eyes. I guess that's one of the things that drew me to her. Not that I associate her with my mom, mind you." once more, he shrugged and stared up at the moon thoughtfully. "So, guess you and I have more in common than I thought."

Arnold smiled a bit, despite the situation. "That's pretty interesting. I never could have imagined that this would happen, all of it. And yet, in a way, I'm kind of glad it did."

"How's that?" Deidara looked at him again, his features returning to their usual register.

"Well, I guess I have a bit of my parent's sense of adventure in my heart, and I always did want to travel and see places. I didn't quite expect it to happen like it did, and it's been really scary, since we're in a practically different dimension, and all the dangers and uncertainty behind it. But at the same time, it's really exciting and it's like being on vacation and exploring a new place. It's amazing, and terrifying at the same time. And..." the younger boy smiled a little more. "I don't know, but I can't imagine not facing this with Helga like I am. I'm actually really glad she's with me. I know it sounds crazy, but it's kind of brought us closer together, since we have to depend on each other for familiarity and survival. We did have a lot of good moments, even if she tries to cover it all up with her rough exterior. I know she's had fun at some times while we were here. At first I was really scared about this whole thing, especially having to be with her, but now it's not so bad. I guess I'm still scared, but it's not so bad."

"I think any kid would have to crazy or weird not to get scared if they were in your shoes." Deidara remarked.

"I guess that means Curly." Arnold chuckled.

"Curly?"

"One of my classmates. His name is actually Thaddeus Gammelthorpe. He's pretty eccentric and can often get a little crazy. But I know deep down he's a good kid, he's trying to get attention in the only way he knows how."

"You sure have a tendency to see the best in people, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." Arnold admitted. "I know there's good in everyone, even if sometimes it may seem unlikely, since it's buried beneath everything else they show. It's hard to overlook, given how they normally act, and yet, when you really think about it, you realize there is so much more to them than meets the eye."

He glanced over at the taller blonde, as he seemed to be pondering his words with a thoughtful frown upon his features. Eventually, he shook his head and then shrugged out of the high-collared cloak he was wearing, and placed it over Arnold like a blanket.

"You're an interesting kid, Arnold. I'll give you that. You should get to sleep, we have a long way to go tomorrow." He said.

Arnold nodded. "Okay. I will."

Deidara shot him one last look before he also lay on the grass, looking up at the stars. He exhaled, realizing it had been quite some time since he'd done a little stargazing. Maybe it was just one of those times that he needed to remember to unwind once and a while, to appreciate the environment.

Feeling the exhaustion creep up on him, Arnold lay on the grass under the warmth of the Akatsuki cloak, staring up at the moon. For a few fleeting moments, he felt a warm feeling come to his heart. Because little did he know, and yet, somehow he knew, that further and further away, Helga was looking up at that same moon.


	19. A Little Bit Closer

**Hello...again. To all who are reading this. XD**

**Ahem.**

**So I bet you all have this question in mind:**

"**Nintendo! When are Arnold and Helga going to reunite?! Are they going to kiss?!"**

**XD**

**To answer your first question, fine. The guys and gals will meet up together in the next chapter, Chapter 20. :)**

**As for your second question...I'm not telling you! You'll have to wait and see. I can tell you, however, that it will be a tender moment. :3**

**For now, enjoy them traveling a little as they make their way to their ultimate destination! **

**Helga: You mean more filler. **

**Maybe.**

**Helga: You're pathetic.**

**I know. X3**

**Oh, and I have something hilarious to share. XD I found out that Tsunade's late lover, Dan, was voiced (in the English version of Naruto) by Roger Craig Smith, who is also the English voice of Deidara. Can you believe that? Dan, who was once an amazing and honourable peacemaker ninja, and Deidara, the fiery terrorist bomber and Akatsuki member.**

**THE IRONY!!!!!! ROFL!!!!!!! Oh my God. XD**

--~~--

"There's a village up ahead, we can stop there and get something to eat if you're hungry." Casana suggested as she stopped on a tree branch, looking out to the clearing before them, signaling the end of the forest.

"Works for me. I'm starved." Helga clutched the older girl's shoulders tightly, putting as much trust in her as she carried her piggy back style on her back.

"All right, we'll go there then." Casana nodded and leaped down from the branch and landed gracefully on the ground, and dashed across the grassy clearing toward the village not so far off in the horizon.

It was the next morning, the girls had arisen bright and early, and though the clouds having rolled in overhead were promising rain, it was a really nice day out. They were heading off to Lake Mononoke, despite still being very far from it. Helga, though deep down still worried and missing Arnold terribly, was anxious to finally see him. It had barely been 24 hours since they'd been separated, and already it felt as if it had been days, or weeks.

Yes, he'd been gone for longer periods of time than this in the past, but what with all the danger and uncertainty, it probably added to it. Not to mention how much more intense her love for him had become. If that was even possible.

"Hey, any idea how long it'll be before we get to that lake?" Helga heard herself ask.

"About 3 or 4 hours on foot, but I'll try to run most of the way to save time." Casana explained, and then smiled. "Don't worry Helga, by early afternoon, you'll have Arnold in your arms again."

Helga blushed heavily and frantically shook her head. "Sh-Shut up! I'm not doing that!"

"Come on Helga, the cat's out of the bag. He knows you love him...I don't think he'll be TOO surprised."

"Just run, okay?"

"All right, all right, no more teasing."

Still, Helga was grateful that her teasing was more playful and good-natured as opposed to pure spite. Then again, it did remind her once more that the cat was out of the bag, and she was still faced with the uncertainty of it all, since she was completely unsure if Arnold felt the same way or not. Yes, she knew full well that he liked her, but love? That was still a mystery.

It wasn't completely hopeless, she knew that, but at the same time, it was frustrating since she had no idea at all.

And it did sure feel good to talk about her feelings, especially to someone who was in the same boat in most respects, and was understanding about it. It felt like Dr. Bliss all over again. Only much, much different.

She held on tight as the brunette leaped and dashed with ease across the field, which once more made Helga wonder how she was able to run and leap like that. It was amazing! She could win in Olympic games without even practicing. How did she do that? She wished she could, how awesome that would be if she could run that fast and jump that high. How awesome it would be to grab Arnold and run away to a deserted place, and smother him with all of her love without any witnesses in sight.

Her usual, goofy, lovesick grin crossed her face at the idea of that, getting lost in her own little fantasy.

"_Oh Arnold my love, how good it feels to finally be able to express that of which I feel for you, my darling…" Helga cooed as she hugged him to her, caressing his hair tenderly. "Do forgive me…I hate having been so cruel…"_

"_All is forgiven, angel, because the past matters not." Arnold said sweetly, and reached up to touch her cheek. "You won't have to wait any longer, because from here on in, I give my heart and my soul to you, my dearest."_

"_Arnold…." Helga swooned, looking into his gorgeous green eyes. "Oh I love you, dear goodness in Heaven I love you!"_

"_And I love you, Helga, I love you too." Arnold whispered to her without hesitation. "Let me prove it to you with a kiss."_

_Helga smiled. "Be my guest."_

_They leaned in, closer, closer…_

"_Helga? Helga? Helga?"_

"Helga!"

"What?!" Helga snapped in surprise, now coming back to reality. Or rather, this strange reality.

An amused smile tugged at Casana's lips as she gently set Helga down. "You were kind of spaced out; I was trying to tell you that we're here." She gestured to the village gates ahead of them.

Helga blinked, looking into the village as her mouth formed a small "o". That was fast! They had gotten here that quickly? Wow.

"Well fine, I knew that." She muttered. "C'mon, let's get some food already, I'm starving!"

Casana laughed and nodded, leading Helga into the village. "Whatever you say, Helga."

The blonde girl's gaze lowered to the ground as another stinging feeling came to her heart, once again reminded of her beloved.

They went into the village, which seemed to be something of a traditional Japanese village back in the old times, aside from the various sights of technological upgrades and the power lines running up above. It was pretty quaint and homey, just the perfect kind of place to stop and take a breather in when you were traveling. It reminded Helga of those road stops when people went on a road trip.

Casana walked over to a stand where a couple of men in chef outfits were preparing food behind the counter. Delicious aromas wafted from it, making Helga nearly ready to drool.

"Do you want some Bakudan, Helga?" Casana asked her.

"Bakudan…" Helga paused, trying to remember from previous meals she'd eaten at Phoebe's house. Bakudan, that was boiled egg halves wrapped in surimi. "Yeah, sure, that's good stuff."

"It is." Casana agreed, and went over to the counter, ordering two plates of Bakudan.

She waited patiently for a couple of minutes, and one of the chefs placed the two plates on the counter before her. She thanked the man and paid him with some money from her pack. She handed one of the plates to Helga, which contained six egg halves each, and they sat down on the little bench next to the stand.

"I guess you come here a lot?" Helga questioned, eating one of the egg halves with her hands.

"We've come here a few times when we were in the area." Casana said, using her chopsticks to slice off a piece of egg and surimi, placing the bite in her mouth. She giggled a little. "Deidara loves Bakudan, it's his favourite. So I make it a point to make sure we get some whenever we can. I'm a vegetarian, but I tried it onetime years ago, and I liked it."

"A vegetarian, eh?" Helga finished one egg half and started on another one. She'd had Bakudan once or twice, and boy she liked it. Especially here! "Man, you don't know what you're missing."

"Terribly sorry that I cannot partake with you carnivorous folk, how sad." Casana said in mock sadness, and smiled.

Helga found herself smiling back at her for a moment, and then went back to munching on her food. It was strange, how she barely knew this girl for 24 hours, and yet in less than that time, had established a connection with her. A connection she had not felt happen in such a long time with another person, let alone a stranger. She had opened up to her, and the older girl had done the same, they understood each other, despite the differences between them, HUGE differences, there was something there that Helga could feel.

Friendship.

She had made a friend.

The girls finished eating their food, returned the plates to the counter, and continued to walk on through the village to look for something to do to kill time for a bit and digest.

"Hey Helga, I know it's a little early, but would you like to get some dango?" Casana then suggested.

"You mean those big round sweet candies on a stick? Heck yeah! I never had candy in the morning, except Halloween candy, but it wasn't the same." Helga said. "Let's go!"

Casana laughed lightly. "All right, let's go get some. I guess your sweet tooth must be as big as mine."

"Well I may not hold Arnold's champion food-eating title, but I'll have you know that I've consumed three slices of apple pie and three scoops of ice cream in one sitting."

"Ooh, you're good. Then let's go get some and we'll just see how much we can eat."

"You're talking my language, toots."

In the main square of the village, there was a dango stand just off from a lovely fountain that rested in the middle of the square. Casana bought them each a plate of dango, each containing three sticks with three candies on them, with warm caramel sauce. They sat on the bench in front of the little hut and stand, starting to eat.

"In the past, during my days it the Akatsuki, I used to sometimes accompany Deidara and his then partner, Tobi, on missions as their healer and to help them out in other aspects. You know, being the brain of the operation sometimes. We'd sometimes take a break and get some food, mostly at Tobi's request, and every time, he'd be about to take his mask off-Tobi wore a mask all the time-, and Deidara and I would be sitting there, all curious and tense, trying to see if Tobi would reveal his face to us, but he always tricks us and turned away." Casana said as she ate a piece of dango. "Those were some crazy times."

"Well doi, when someone wears a mask, you do want to see what's behind it!" Helga said, but couldn't help but snicker. "Got any other cool stories?"

"I've got tons of them. There was one time we had to find some ninja who's name escapes me, and he was said to be hiding in this abandoned house that was believed to be haunted. Well, we went there, and in one of the rooms, a skeleton fell on Tobi and he was screaming like a little girl!" Casana laughed at this, so did Helga. "Deidara smacked him upside the head and told him to shut up or he'd do way worse than the skeleton and I was trying to tell them to calm down and be quiet!"

"I take it Tobi was a wimp, and the idiotic yet loveable type." Helga guessed.

Casana nodded. "Pretty much. He was a comedic relief around the Akatsuki. He sure annoyed Deidara all the time though! I found him to be pretty funny most of the time, and Deidara used to get pretty jealous for some reason. I don't know why." She giggled at this. "I guess he's used to evoking positive responses from me and someone was stealing his thunder! Nah, probably not, he hardly ever thinks highly of himself. He channels all of that into his work."

"Jealous, huh?" Helga murmured, thinking about that. "Or maybe he's secretly in love with you and since Tobi was getting your attention, he got jealous!"

"Huh?! No!" Casana cried, blushing considerably. "I wish…but no, no such luck. Come on, if Art had a human female form, he'd pick her over me any day."

Helga shrugged, eating another piece of dango, but not before licking the sauce off the piece. "Just callin' it as I see it. So, you said before he was an artist?"

"Oh yes." Casana brightened at that. "Back in our hometown, before….things got out of hand, he always used to make amazing sculptures out of clay and show them off. Really, he made them so well, and did garner some praise from people. I always used to stand off in the background watching, because I knew my presence would dampen the mood, since no one would want to see me. But he always showed them to me first, and would ask me what I thought of them. I was always so proud, and just loved them. He even made a few just for me." She giggled a bit at this. "He may not always show it, but he really has a soft side. But he rarely shows it, except to me at certain times." She sighed then, looking a little distant. "Still, even with his great works, he longed for something so much more…and he stole the Kinjutsu of our village because of it. Sometimes I wonder how things would've turned out if he'd never stolen it."

"You and I wouldn't be here right now, put it that way." Helga said, trying to brighten the mood, much to even her own surprise.

Casana looked at her and giggled. "No, I guess not."

They both laughed a little and then went back to eating their dangos, when a loud, booming voice suddenly was heard nearby.

"Well well, lookie here! It's Casana!"

Visibly tensing, Casana looked around frantically for the source of the voice, wondering who could possibly know who she really was. It wasn't long before the owner of the voice made themselves known, as an incredibly tall, muscular man suddenly jumped down from a toad's head and landed before the two girls. Helga gaped at the man, unable to believe it. He was as tall if not taller, and as big if not bigger in muscle, as her father. He had long, spiky white hair tied in the back, and was dressed in a very traditional yet funky Japanese get-up, and had a gigantic scroll strapped to his back. He looked to be in his fifties, yet given his physique, was in very good shape and very strong. She looked from Casana to the big man a couple of times. They knew each other?

He grinned at the two of them and lifted a hand in greeting. "Never thought I'd see you around again!"

"J-Jiraiya-sensei?" Casana uttered, looking up at the man and standing up, looking so incredibly small compared to him. "Is that really you?"

"The one and only!" The man, apparently Jiraiya, grinned wider. "But hey, wow. Look at you, you've really grown into one hell of a woman. Last time I saw you, you were at least ye big!" He laughed, holding his hand a few feet above the ground, obviously indicating she had been a child when she last saw him. "You sure grew! Especially in the chest! Got yourself a man yet? Oh, I bet you're reeling them in like a fisherman!"

Casana's cheeks turned as dark pink as her kimono top and shook her head frantically. "N-No, no, I'm not with anyone now."

"No? Well that's a shame, a girl like you could make men fall to their knees!" Jiraiya laughed. "I know one thing's for sure, you're definitely a lot stronger than the last time I saw you." There seemed to be a look in his eyes, indicating something that he wasn't vocally expressing. He then noticed Helga and his grin returned. "Well well! And who's this lovely little lady?"

"Save your sweet, creepy talk for someone who appreciates it." Helga responded, making a face. "But if you must know, the name's Helga. Helga G. Pataki. I'm Casana's student." She decided to throw in a believable lie for good measure.

"Oh, a student, eh?" Jiraiya's eyes twinkled and he laughed. "You sure know how to pick the most interesting companions!"

Casana gave a smile. "What can I say, I've learned a lot over the years and I guess I just want to help others instead of…well, harming them."

Jiraiya gave a laugh and patted her on the shoulder. "You were always that type of girl, and that's what made you so different from those guys." They seemed to share a connection then, which seemed to make Casana feel uneasy, but he smiled more at her. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got things to do. You know me! But first, take this as a souvenir." He reached for something in his pocket and gave it to her. It was a medium-sized, hardcover book. "My newest book! Not a soul has read it yet, so consider it a real treat!"

Casana looked down at the book, seeing that it was the newest of his Make-Out Paradise franchise. It was green, and had the drawn image of a woman kicking a man in the butt, with flower petals spewing out everywhere. She wasn't into reading that kind of literature, but she did have a sense of respect for him, so she didn't mind reading his works so much.

"Well gosh, thank you, sensei." Casana said with a smile, tucking the book away into her pack. "I guess you really outdid yourself, you old pervert."

"Hey, I'm not a pervert. I'm a super pervert!" Jiraiya pounded his chest proudly with his fist and shot a wink and grin to Helga. "And hey you there, come back when you're eighteen! I got a feeling you'll be a knock out!"

"Sensei!" Casana cried in shock, and repressed a smile.

"In your dreams, old man." Helga simply said.

Jiraiya laughed again and jumped back onto his toad, which seemed to actually be alive. "I like this one, she's pretty feisty. See you ladies, and keep that training up!" He then disappeared in a puff of smoke along with his toad.

"Weirdo." Helga sat back down and continued to eat her dango. "So what, was that old big guy your former teacher or something?"

"Kind of." Casana sat back down as well. "That was Jiraiya, he's one of the three Legendary Sannins, alongside Konoha's fifth Hokage Tsunade, and also…" A dark look entered her eyes then. "Orochimaru." She shook her head at this. "He's an incredibly skilled ninja, and he also is a Sage, an alliance with the toads. I actually met him years ago, I was ten years old, and I had become a Genin the year before. I was on an escort mission in the Fire Country with my teammates and our team leader, Takada-sensei. I met him when I was sitting alone outside a temple, and you know me, the miserable lovesick orphan girl. He knew who I was, and he sat down and spoke to me a little, I even opened up to him a little. We became close, and eventually he got to training me, so I trained with him for a while and learned a lot from him, then became a Chuunin soon after. He helped me a lot in Ninjutsu and with summoning, especially. To be honest, I pretty much saw him as a bit of Grandfather figure, or even a favourite uncle, you know? When you don't have parents…" She looked up into the cloudy sky with a thoughtful yet sat gaze. "You feel others trying to fill in that void that only your parents can fill. He seemed to just kind of know me, even when I didn't say anything. I guess also I made my crush a little too obvious sometimes! He knew right away. And well, he is a bit of a self-proclaimed pervert, and he writes that really questionable, sexy literature, his little Make-Out Paradise series. But, beyond that, he's an honourable man. He really is. He's strong in both body and spirit, and has always worked hard to inspire his students to do well in the same respect."

~Flashback~

"_All right, you can stop here for now!" Jiraiya announced, and patted a seat next to him where he sat on the front porch of the temple. "Take a break from your training for now."_

"_Oh, okay, Jiraiya-sensei." Casana nodded and smoothed her green t-shirt of its wrinkles and then went and sat beside him. She took the bamboo container of water from the Legendary Sannin and drank some down, staring out ahead toward the village._

_A group of Genin were standing not far off, she could see their faces clearly from where she sat. Her gaze fell on one Genin in particular, a blonde boy with light blue eyes, holding a well-detailed clay sculpture in his hands, which he was showing off to his teammates._

"_Oh, Deidara-kun, it's wonderful!" Said the female Genin of the team. "Your artistic skills are just ever so amazing!"_

_A flash of jealousy came to Casana then as she looked away, trying not to pay attention to the display. The girl on his team, Nanako Haruzima, was a sugary sweet girl who seemed to be shining with cherry blossom petals all around her, and was on top of that, a pretty girl. Shining dirty blonde hair, with dazzling hazel eyes, and lightly tanned skin to go with it._

_Jiraiya followed her gaze, and noted her expression on her face before he grinned and patted her on the head. "Ah, I see what's going on. You like that boy over there, don't you?"_

"_Huh!?" Casana snapped her gaze up at him. "I-I…no! No! He's just a friend."_

_Jiraiya chuckled and patted her head again before removing his hand. "Oh come on now, you don't have to be afraid to tell me that. Besides, I can see the way you're looking at him. He means a lot to you, I can tell."_

_A soft blush crossed the young girl's face as she looked back toward the boy she harboured secret feelings for and sighed._

"_Oh I get it; you have cold feet because you're afraid of how he feels in return."_

"…_Is it really that obvious?"_

"_I know you now, Casana, so I think I'd know who you might have your eye on, especially when he's around!" Jiraiya winked at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll keep it secret, if that'll make you feel better."_

_She smiled a little. "Thank you, sensei."_

"_Hey, no problem!" He winked and then stood up. "C'mon, let's go in the forest and we'll get back to your training. Your summoning needs some patching up."_

_Casana nodded, then stole one last gaze toward Deidara, who saw her looking and smiled at her, waving at her. She blushed and managed a wave back before she turned and followed Jiraiya into the outskirts of the village._

~End of Flashback~

"Call me dumb, I was always jealous of the girl on his team, Nanako Haruzima, even if I had no reason to be. She WAS interested in him, at least I think so, but he never paid much attention to her. Still, I guess I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She was also a little too much of a good thing. Don't get me wrong, she was a nice girl and never meant any sort of harm, but she was always seemed so flawless. I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but that's what she was like. Seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses."

"Are you kidding me?!" Helga exclaimed, putting her plate aside. "There's this girl back home, her name's Lila Sawyer. She's exactly like that Nanako girl. I thought she was pretty annoying at first when she came to our school, I and the other girls played some nasty pranks on her, before…well, it was cleared up. After that, well, she annoyed me at times with her Sunshine 'ever so' sweetness. Oh yeah, she said 'ever so' and 'oh too' and 'oh so' just about all the time."

Casana grimaced. "That's pretty redundant."

"Tell me about it." Helga muttered. "But of course, my worst nightmare came into play when I got it in myself to write 'Arnold Loves Helga' on a wall in chalk. But then I heard someone coming so I switched my name to Lila's, you know, to hide my secret. Boy, I shouldn't have done that. Lila was with these two other girls from school, Rhonda and Nadine, and they saw the message. So Lila goes and spends all her time with Arnold, pretty much all of a sudden she likes him likes him, since they all thought _he_ wrote it. It was a nightmare! So Arnold does finally tell her the truth, but then later the next day he asked her to meet him at the park. Well, naturally, I followed him and hid in a tree as I…kind of eavesdropped on them. Arnold told her that he did like her like her, and then Lila…oh that little….! She basically dumped him. And oh, here's the kicker. She only liked him liked him because she thought he loved her."

"Ouch. Dumped at nine years old."

"Yep. Despite it all, I sure felt bad for him, he was pretty sad about it. But oh, this is where I came in! I fell out of the tree I was hiding in and he saw me. Well, I ended up comforting him…as best as I could, anyway, and then he walked me home after. Even when dumped, he's still a gentleman." Helga recalled, looking down at her lap.

Casana giggled. "One of those classic times where they dump or are dumped and you're the one that goes in and comforts them, winning them over somehow."

"Believe it." Helga gave the peace sign.

"I do believe it." Casana stood up then. "Okay, while we're here, let's stock up on some supplies, and if you want to use the bathroom, better hurry."

"I feel like we're on some kind of road trip or something." Helga muttered, but smiled anyway as she stood up. "Well the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get to…that place."

--~~--

"Hey Arnold, if you're feeling hungry, we can grab a bite while we're here. But make the best of it, since this will be the last stop we'll make before we go the rest of the way to the meeting point. Think you can manage?"

"Yeah, I can manage."

In another village, farther off, the boys had also arisen bright and early and set off for Lake Mononoke, and had stopped in a tourist-friendly village to stock up and to get something to eat, while a great distance away, unknown to them, the girls were doing the same. They walked casually through the village, earning strange stares from the villagers, since it was quiet odd to see a tall blonde young adult with a utility belt around his waist holding two packs, and a much smaller, nine year old boy with crazy blonde hair and an incredibly strangely-shaped head. Despite that, Deidara shed his Akatsuki cloak, which he seldom wore in a public place, seeming to come off as an ordinary person.

Along the way he did also earn a few lovestruck stares from women and younger girls, which did happen on occasion. Not that it mattered so much considering that he had his heart set on someone else, and that he preferred that kind of attention not be focused on him, but on his art instead.

Oh well.

"I guess you get girls staring at you often?" Arnold said, noticing it all.

"Eh, it happens sometimes." Deidara said nonchalantly. "Don't really care, it's no big deal. It usually doesn't go further than glances. Sometimes the girls will actually approach me and attempt to flirt with me, sometimes even trying to get into my pants."

"Why would they want to get into your pants?" Arnold asked, puzzled, clearly not getting the euphemism.

"Don't ask me, I'm not that appealing, but I guess some girls think so." Deidara shrugged. "It does make Casana jealous for some reason, though. One time quite a few years ago, this girl came up and just blatantly offered to sleep with me. Pretty weird, I was only about fourteen at the time. Eventually, Casana stepped in and said I was her boyfriend to drive the girl away, which worked like a charm. Funny though, same kind of thing happened some time after, when we were in this village and some guy was hitting on Casana, trying to woo her and thinking he was some kind of big shot ladies man." He grimaced a little. "Yeeesh. Well at the time I was pretty much repressing how I felt about her, you know, doing what I do now, not admitting it. Like she did, I went in and told the manwhore to back off and leave her alone, and also pretended she was my girlfriend. I don't know why she did it, because she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek, for extra effect, she said. Whatever, she's so weird sometimes." A ghost of a smile traced his lips then.

"She's looking out for you, I guess." Arnold offered. "And probably doesn't want you to get into some kind of a relationship like that, when a girl is…too forward and can cause discomfort."

"You can say that. She always did have decent values, and being a whore is definitely not on top of her list."

"A whore?"

"A slut, a harlot, strumpet, whatever you want to call it. A whore is a woman or even a man, usually a prostitute, who sells their bodies for promiscuous sex." Deidara grimaced again.

"Oh…oh." Arnold blushed in realization. He knew very little about sex, but knew that it was the big, forbidden action between two people and to his knowledge also, between two people in love. "Why would someone want to do that with someone they didn't love?"

"People can be really stupid sometimes, kid." Deidara muttered, shaking his head. "It makes no difference, I rarely ever even think about sex, anyway. But I guess if I were to think about it, then I guess it's obvious that Casana's the only one I'm ever letting in my pants."

"Why? Does she like wearing your pants?" Once more, the younger boy didn't catch the euphemism.

Deidara snickered, holding back his laughter as much as he could, shooting an amused smirk toward him. "You're not very familiar with sex euphemisms, are you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

" Not really." Arnold admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm only nine, we don't really talk about that kind of thing."

"Figured as much. You're a little too innocent, anyway. Not to mention dense as hell. Whatever, come on, let's-" Deidara suddenly paused then, an unreadable gaze coming to his face.

Arnold noticed, and looked up at him with confusion and concern. "What's wrong?"

"Chakra…I know that chakra, way too strong to be that of an average or strong Shinobi." A frown marred the older blonde's features then. "It's _them_."

"Who?"

Up ahead, where Deidara's gaze focused, two people were walking toward them, seeming now to spot them. Arnold balked at the sight of the tallest man, who had blue skin, white eyes, and shark-like gills on his face. He also had an enormous bladed sword wrapped in gauze tied to his back. The other man was shorter, with long black hair tied in the back, emotionless black eyes, with a cool look of disdain on his face.

"Well hey, it's Deidara." Said the blue-skinned man with a grin, showing his shark-like teeth. "Fancy running into you here."

Deidara shot a cool look to the shark man and gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Kisame." His gaze returned to the shorter man, his expression becoming full of hatred. "…Itachi."

"Deidara." Said the man who was presumably Itachi. "I see you have been making the best of your liberty." His eyes fell on the younger boy. "…A disciple, I presume?"

Without missing a beat, Deidara gave a nod, his eyes never leaving Itachi, and placed his hand down on Arnold's shoulder. "As a matter of fact, yes. This is Arnold, I'm teaching him all there is to know about being an artist."

"Never took you for the teaching type." The shark man, Kisame, remarked. "I guess Casana's mannerisms are rubbing off on you."

A blush crossed the blonde's cheeks as he shook his head. "No, just making my art useful, that's all. And it so happens this little boy here knows a thing or two about art, so he's halfway there."

"Good luck with that." Kisame said, sounding fairly sincere.

"We won't keep you any longer. Come, Kisame." Itachi said, and started to walk away.

"Not. So. Fast." Deidara warned, his voice now lacing with venom. "I won't let you walk away this time, Itachi. You were very unfortunate to run into me just now."

"…I sense you still hold your vengeance toward me." Itachi said calmly. "Though I cannot say that I do not understand why."

What was going on here? Arnold looked from Itachi to Deidara, wondering why the latter seemed to hate Itachi so much. He had some kind of grudge against him, and probably wanted to settle it. Itachi and Kisame were obviously also ninjas, so it was likely they would settle it the way fighting ninjas would. Or worse, fighting to the death.

This was certainly new. He'd never seen someone with so much hatred before. Moreover, why? What happened? What did Itachi do to make him so vengeful? Whatever it was, Deidara was looking at Itachi the same way Helga looked at someone she hated…only much more intense, as if he would kill him in an instant.

This didn't look good at all.

"My, this should be good." Kisame looked gleeful, now clutching the handle of the sword on his back.

"So…" Itachi faced his former colleague. "I assume that you wish to initiate a rematch." He glanced down at the younger boy again. "Are you sure you would want to do so in front of your student?"

Itachi's question surprised him, and that was when Deidara remembered what was going on. He had a duty to fulfill, and he was never one to go back on his orders, even if he had taken it upon himself to rescue Arnold when Casana had said she'd do it herself. Now running into Itachi brought out the very factor that he swore vengeance agains thim.

He realized then that this was not the time to settle an old grudge. He had an obligation to fulfill, and if he got severely injured, or worse, killed, that would definitely result in disaster. For a change, logic and sensibility kicked in and he decided to concede.

"Fine. I suppose now isn't the best time for that." Deidara said coldly. "You're lucky this time, Itachi, that I have my student with me, and that I have to take him home. But the next time our paths cross, I won't be so nice."

"Very well." Itachi said, and turned to his partner. "Let's go, Kisame."

"You don't know how lucky _you_ are." Kisame said to Deidara. "Say hi to Casana for me."

That being said, Itachi and Kisame walked past the two blondes and headed down the path into the village. Deidara stared after them for a moment, his anger dissipating before he turned to the younger boy.

"You still hungry, kid?"

--~~--

**XD Haha! I put in some shameless cameos, because I'm just that evil. Oh yes, the Akatsuki all live, because they're awesome. :D Yay! **

**And Jiraiya too! I love Jiraiya, he's awesome! Pervy, sure, but totally awesome. **

**Stay tuned! The next chapter is when IT finally happens!**


	20. Together Again

**All right folks, this is it. The moment you have all been waiting for. After nine chapters, Arnold and Helga are FINALLY in the same chapter together and reunited! :D Yay!**

**Now I bet some of you are wondering about the kissy. Well, you'll have to read and see! :3**

**Oh, and I recently realized a few things about the Hey Arnold timeline. To be honest, I always assumed that the movie came after the series was over. But no, it takes place right in the middle of Season Five. This story here takes place after "The Journal", but as if TJM hadn't happened (remember Miles and Stella in chapter six?) at all. Sooo...then that makes Helga ten here. Damn it! Me and my utmost inability to look into things beforehand.**

**Hey. Then Arnold is ten too! That's solely based on the fact that I believe his birthday to be on October 7****th****. Yes, we know his birthday is on the 7****th**** of something, and Craig DID make a hint that Arnold is a Libra, and he also meets the Libran criteria...so...yeah! They're ten. And ain't nothing you can do about it. XD**

**All right, let's get to it then!**

**WHOO!!! We are at Chapter 20! :D The furthest I have ever made it in a story! Wow! OwO This is becoming my biggest story yet. SQUEE! Time to celebrate!**

**Helga: You're still lame.**

**Arnold: This actually isn't so bad, Helga.**

**Deidara: I can't BELIEVE I have to deal with a couple of kids! DX**

**Casana: Oh come on Deidara, you know you're enjoying it.**

**XD**

--~~--

"So are we there yet or what?"

"Almost."

Helga heaved a small sigh, feeling her hair dance in the rushing wind as the older girl swiftly ran, carrying her on her back. She'd let her hair loose from their pigtails to allow it to flow freely in the wind, which felt pretty good, and was the closest thing to flying out in open air that she could get. It was fun! A lot of fun. She could get used to this.

_Well, if Arnold and I are gonna be stuck in this ninja universe, may as well make the best of it._ Helga mused, taking in the open landscape all around them.

It was really beautiful, all the wide open fields stretching as far as the eye can see, distant peaks of mountains, cliffsides, lakes, ponds and rivers, it was amazing. It was as if she were really flying, and seeing the world. And to think Casana did this all the time. A stroke of envy ran through her, wishing she too could have the freedom to run out in the world, to see the places she'd pass, run like the wind and leap high as a bird in flight.

Especially with her beloved by her side.

That's when it hit her again. It wouldn't be long now, finally, after about a day of being apart, she would finally see him again, alive and well. That brought a great sense of relief to her and lifted a weight off her shoulders. Plus, she had some friendly company, which had helped her a lot. Otherwise, she might have gone insane and broken down.

But for once, things were actually going to be okay. At least she would finally be by his side again, which was all that really mattered. Yes, getting home mattered too, but before that, Arnold. Then home.

Home...

Helga counted now that she and Arnold had been here and missing for five days. Five days. His grandparents were definitely worried and still looking for him, Gerald was probably telling everyone what really happened but no one believing him, and all their classmates and even Mr. Simmons were probably wondering where the heck they were. The police were probably searching all over the city and even calling their out-of-town relatives and questioning everyone if they'd seen them last. Helga mused, knowing that they would have a VERY hard time finding them, considering they practically disappeared without a trace. Phoebe would definitely be worried, and her parents? Well, unless Olga somehow found out about it, they probably had no idea.

She sighed again. Would they ever get home? Or were they doomed to stay here in this strange ninja world for the rest of their lives?

Well, that actually didn't sound TOO bad. They would be able to have a fresh start, and most of all, she would be with him, which was a dream come true. On the other hand, he had a lot to go back home to, so he probably wouldn't like the idea as much, which saddened her. She also wasn't about to stay behind and he go home if they ever found a way. A world without Arnold was NOT worth living in.

Hopefully they would find a way to get home. And hey, maybe even a way to switch back and forth. That would be pretty cool, to have their own private little secret place only they knew about.

But first and foremost, getting him back to her. That was the most important task at the moment. Then what? Would they continue on their way, thanking these two ninjas for their help and then going off?

"Helga, we're here." Casana's voice cut off her train of thought.

Looking around, she saw that the older girl had stopped in the middle of a forest, where a lake stood. Trees all stood majestically around and across the water, reflecting off the glassy surface of the lake.

"Finally!" Helga got down off of her back. "So...guess they're not here yet. We gotta kill time now?"

"I suppose, for a little while." Casana replied, smoothing her kimono top. She looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "Looks like a big storm is coming..."

The blonde girl looked over at Casana, raising one side of her brow at the rhetorical statement before following her gaze up to the sky. Indeed, dark storm clouds were forming alongside the gray rainclouds, promising not only rain, but a storm as well.

"_As I lie in wait_

_Under the merciless clouds of rain and storm_

_My heart leaps with much anticipation and wonder_

_I wait for you, my love_

_I hope and pray_

_I wish and long_

_To know that you're okay_

_How I long to hold you close_

_To stroke your fevered brow_

_My dearest flaxen-haired angel_

_Know deep down that I worry_

_Though I say differently upon the exterior_

_Arnold my love_

_Just return safely hence forth_.." Helga recited, not much caring that one of her many "Arnold Love" poems was being heard by another's ears.

Casana looked at her with amazement and awe. "Helga...you said you wrote poetry, did you write that yourself?"

Helga shrugged with a nod. "Yeah. I just thought of it, and I guess I couldn't help but say it."

She smiled warmly. "You really do write beautiful poetry. Especially for a nine year old."

"Well, you know, Arnold inspires me, I guess." Helga admitted.

"So you said." Casana giggled. "That's pretty sweet. You have a lot of talent with it, you know."

"It's no big deal, it's what I do to express myself."

"Does Arnold know you write poetry?"

"He kind of does. And he unknowingly has one of my poetry volumes." Helga remembered. "He doesn't know they're mine. I ripped out the last page since it was the only page with my name on it."

Casana giggled. "You sure did go to great lengths to keep your love for him a secret."

"And you haven't?" Helga smirked.

"No, I've always hid it pretty well. I guess the closest I come to going to a great length to hide it was that one time when I was still in the Academy, and I had a notebook on me. While I was paying attention, I didn't even realize that I had doodled his name several times in my notebook, with lots of hearts and our initials, I might add." She giggled at the memory. "Sensei almost saw it, but I hid it away in time."

"That's nothing! Not compared to what I've had to do. Breaking into his house to try to steal my little pink book, an answering machine tape containing a love message I initiated while under the influence of laughing gas, my locket, and a parrot that was reciting one of my poems to him, with my name included. All without being caught or seen...except that one time I fell out into his room and he was there with all his friends." Helga said a bit smugly.

Casana laughed. "Then you must have the makings of a promising ninja to be able to do all that. That's pretty impressive."

"Coming from a ninja like you, I guess that's a compliment?" She raised one side of her eyebrow.

"You can say that. Although I guess now that he knows, not much point in hiding it anymore, is there?"

Helga sighed, shaking her head. "Guess not. I've still tried, but even I know now that it's a little pointless. I guess it's good to have the cat out of the bag, but I still don't know how he feels."

Casana looked thoughtful. "It sounds to me like you two need to talk to talk to each other about this."

"That's something Arnold would definitely want to do." Helga sat down on the grass, crossing her arms.

"Well, would you want to?" The older girl sat down next to her.

"Frankly, I don't even know anymore. But now that I think about it, it's the right thing to do."

--~~--

"So, guess you're probably wondering what I've got against Itachi, aren't you?" Deidara deadpanned.

"Huh? Well, yeah, I am curious, but you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Said Arnold.

Deidara chuckled, shaking his head. "You're too damn nice, kid. It's a long story, but at least it'll kill time on our way to the lake."

The boys were a fair distance away, with Deidara carrying Arnold on his back, leaping and running on the ground and up in the trees from branch to branch. Within the next while, given his suprisingly very good speed, they would reach their destination.

Without waiting for an answer, Deidara kept his eyes ahead and began his story. "It started quite a few years ago, back when I was traveling around, offering the use of my art to people for different purposes. Casana was with me, though she kept a low profile most of the time, considering who she was and all. During all this, the Akatsuki caught wind of me."

"Akatsuki?"

"Didn't mention that, did I? Guess not. It was, or is, an organization of S-Ranked criminals. The deadliest and most wanted missing nins were a part of this organization. They caught wind of me, and wanted to recruit me. I did refuse, considering I wanted to do what I was already doing. But they had other ideas. They had one of their members, Itachi Uchiha, fight against me. If I won, they'd let me go. If I lost, I was in. Guess what happened."

"You lost?"

"Yep." Deidara shook his head again. "But it wasn't exactly the losing that got me. Itachi's an Uchiha, and he did inherit that damned Kekki Genkai, the Sharingan. So did his younger brother Sasuke, and their cousin, the Long-Tailed Jinchuuriki, Orivia, and also a Princess."

"Wait, Orivia? Oh! We met her, while we were in Konoha, I didn't know she was related to that Itachi guy."

"You DID say you guys were in Konoha, so I guess I'm not surprised." The older blonde looked over his shoulder at him.

"Yeah, we did." Arnold nodded. "She's really nice, actually. And really pretty, I don't think I've seen someone with violet eyes before."

"Eh, can't argue with that. I guess she's attractive. Not my type, though. But anyway, the Sharingan allows the user to see through any kind of jutsu, and for the user to copy their opponent's movements. It's an eye technique, the bloodline trait of the Uchihas. Itachi used the Sharingan against me, pretty much cancelling out all my attacks and then using them against me. Didn't take too kindly to that. He had me involuntarily recruited because of it." Deidara let out an annoyed growl at the back of his throat. "That part didn't bother me as much, even if it was pretty annoying. Leaving Casana behind and alone wasn't so much fun either. Let's just say I didn't realized I loved her until I was gone. But you want to know the kicker of this story?"

"What's that?" Arnold asked, intrigued.

"She did the stupidest thing ever. She joined the Akatsuki a couple of years after I did."

"What?!"

"Not joking, kid. She said it was because the Akatsuki had been after her for years, because of her bloodline and abilities, and they recruited her. She was quite a commodity to the organization. But then later she told me joined on her own free will. That doesn't make sense at all, she doesn't have it in her to be a criminal, and part of being in the Akatsuki is to be deadly and ruthless. Not to mention she has a bit of trouble fighting with proper judgment since her emotions get in the way all the time. So needless to say, I was confused, but she never told me why she joined. It makes no sense, but it doesn't matter. No one change the past."

"She really did all that?"

"Yep."

Arnold paused to think about that for a minute. It was interesting to have something to think about beyond the uncertainty and fear of this new world and getting home, all things considered. Even after only just meeting, they'd established a very interesting connection of understanding. He sure knew what the blonde was talking about, feeling confused when a girl did so many nice things for reasons unknown. That was how he felt prior to Helga's confession on top of the FTi building. Then it made perfect sense, as shocking as it was.

But then again, it made him question, was it really possible to go that far for someone you considered just as a friend, or even as if they were a close family member?

Was it possible to go far for someone even if you weren't in love with them?

As dense and thick as he could be, he wasn't an idiot. Of course, he was only speaking from experience, and some things he'd read in books and saw in movies, but it was possible, right? But he couldn't say for sure, at least not until he may hear her side of the story, if she chose to tell it. It was possible that maybe, just maybe, Casana felt the same way and proved her love by doing all that.

"So we were in the Akatsuki for a while," Deidara went on, interrupting the younger boy's train of thought. "Not much to say about that. Casana was appointed as the healer, and did go on missions of her own, though usually she'd be out on the battlefield in order to heal the members she would be with or close to. She often accompanied my partner Tobi and I on our missions. She may have flaws in battle, but she's strong and has a lot of brains when it comes to a good fight. Killing innocent people isn't her forte, heck; killing in general isn't her forte. Sometimes though, when someone she's up against doesn't deserve to live, she'll do away with them. But she gets the job done."

He paused then, looking up ahead as a large lake came into view above the dense forest.

"Looks like we're almost there. We'll save this for later, kid." Deidara looked at him over his shoulder and winked. "You're a pretty good listener."

Arnold smiled a little, looking bashful. "It's nothing, really. I like to listen to people when they open up to me about something, it's the least I can do, and the best way for me to help them out if they need it. Not that you're trying to ask me for help anything but..."

"I get the point, kid." The older blonde landed on the ground not far from the lake, letting him down. "All right, on your feet, we're walking the rest of the way."

"Okay." Arnold stretched his arms and legs for a moment. "You think they're here yet?"

Deidara smirked. "I'm sure they are. We'll find out. I sense pretty strong chakra up ahead, and unless it's some enemy ninja, which would be stupid considering they should do the smart thing and disguise or lower their chakra, it's Casana."

"Oh, okay." Arnold nodded and followed him down the path into the forest leading to the lake.

--~~--

"Any sign of them yet?" Helga tossed a rock into the water.

Casana smiled and stood up, going up beside her near the shore of the lake. "As a matter of fact, I can sense a presence of chakra nearby. I'll bet it's Deidara."

Helga looked up at her with confusion. "Wait...you can sense chakra?"

"Yes. While we can't pinpoint who the person behind the chakra is, we can sense the flow emitting from them, and mostly how strong it is. This one's strong, so here's hoping it'll be-"

"Hey, Casana." Deidara suddenly appeared behind her, smirking deviously.

"GAH!" Casana squealed in surprise, stiffening up visibly and whipping around. "Deidara! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Oops, sorry." Answered the artist, sounding not the least bit sorry. "I had no idea that you were being naive and off guard. Oh wait, I was, and decided to get a good reaction out of you."

Casana grumbled in annoyance, and then shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of a few things." His tone was suggestive.

Her eyes widened and she blushed, and shook her head furiously. "Where's Arnold?"

"He's right here." Deidara indicated to behind him, where Arnold was walking up to them.

Helga spotted him immediately, and despite that they were all watching, lit up. "Arnold?!"

Arnold came around and saw her, managing a smile. "Hey, Helga." His eyes widened then upon seeing her with her hair down, which surprised him to see it again. Before he had time to drink in how pretty she actually looked, she rushed right at him, hugging him tightly to her.

"You stupid football head! Don't EVER scare me like that again!" She cried, tears unwittingly running down her face. So much for keeping her composure.

"Helga?" Arnold blinked in surprise at her sudden act of affection, and the fact she was getting emotional. Still, he returned the hug and closed his eyes, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent as it wafted to his nose. "Sorry for worrying you like that."

Casana watched the display between them and giggled silently behind her hand. They made such a cute couple. She gently nudged the older blonde, whispering that they should give them some time alone. They then walked off further down the lake toward the forest to give them privacy.

Helga pulled back a little, still embracing him as fresh tears ran down her face. She couldn't help but get a little emotional, considering she missed him, was worried about him, and all the uncertainty clouding this new world they were in. Her shoulders trembled as she tried to regain herself, looking into his concerned, gentle green eyes.

"Are you okay, Helga?" Arnold asked softly, taking out a soft handkerchief from his pocket and wiping her tears with it.

Her eyes widened, but she made no attempt to move away from his touch. Now was not that time. He was so wonderful to her, just as he always was. She didn't deserve his utmost sweetness, and yet he gladly offered it. What an angel. She closed her eyes in bliss, a small smile creeping up her lips.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little cut and bruised, but I was healed." Helga replied, opening her eyes.

"Okay, that's good." Arnold smiled in relief. "I'm glad you're okay. I was pretty worried about you."

"Well...ya know, after you were kidnapped, I guess I lucked out when those two found me." Helga jerked her thumb over her shoulder, indicating to the two ex Iwa ninjas. "Well, Casana did anyway. It was pretty scary at first, she killed one of those ninjas that ambushed us right in front of me, which freaked me out. Then she pointed her machete at me, pretty suspicious, thinking I was some enemy ninja or something. But HA! What a joke! Behind all that, she's a lot like you. I think you guys would get along just fine." A light smirk came to her face.

Arnold smiled and chuckled a little bit. "That's good, I'm glad she was able to look after you like that."

"Course she did, I know now she wouldn't have turned her back on me. So, where were you all this time? What did those goons do? They didn't hurt you, did they? Because if they did I swear I'll-"

"No, not really. I was unconscious most of the time anyway. I was pretty sore when I woke up, but nothing bad."

Helga sighed in relief, taking a breath. "Well good. So, Mr. Girly Man didn't torture you much did he?"

"Oh no, we got along fine." Arnold nodded.

"Good, because no one can mess with you except me, football head." Helga smirked, and pulled him closer to her, snickering at his blush.

An appreciative smile crept up Arnold's lips as he reached up and gently touched the cut on Helga's cheek. Realizing what he was doing, he dropped his hand and blushed. "Sorry, Helga."

"No...don't be." She said softly.

Their eyes met, blue met green. Storm clouds loomed overhead, thunder rumbling in the distance, but neither of them cared. Arnold looked into Helga's radiant blue eyes, not an ounce of hatred in them. Instead, he saw affection, adoration, relief, love, all directed at him. At times her roughness and mental walls made it hard to overlook her, but at a moment like this, you could see just how soft and caring she could become. Not to mention just how lost you could get when you really took the time to look into her eyes.

She looked so much softer with her hair down, the way her blonde locks were in a light wave around her head and then down her shoulders, how it framed her face and contrasted beautifully with her blue eyes and fair skin. Her bow on her head was just a cute addition. Helga looked pretty here, cute even. She smiled then, enhancing her softened features.

He felt so drawn to her, despite how close they already were. It made him realize they were still embracing. She was so warm, and it felt so natural for some reason, he didn't feel awkward or nervous about being so close to her. In fact, he liked it. Strange, why? Whatever the reason was, he felt warm inside, his heart was pounding vigorously.

This was making Helga nervous now.

_Why is he looking at me like that?! Why isn't he moving away from me? Why is he still holding me? Oh no, I have to get out of this or I'll lose it in front of him. Stay focused Helga, stay focused. Don't think about him! Think of your next plan of action. Okay, I'll ask him what we can do next, maybe they can help us out for a while and then we can move on to the next place on our own, we could go to Shiranami as planned, we can maybe even ask them to help us research the amulet and...oh, a rain drop just landed on his nose. Awww! Does he realize just how cute his nose is? So round, I want to squeeze it and honk! Oh Arnold don't look at me with those eyes, with your golden hair sticking up in all directions....don't hold me close and make me want to-oh, that's it! If I don't do this I'm going to explode!_

Something inside of Helga snapped like a potato chip, and she couldn't hold back any longer. Her arms went around his back and his head, pulling the smaller boy flush against her, and kissed him feverishly. Her heart leaped in her chest and her insides melted upon feeling his lips against hers again, despite that she'd only kissed him yesterday before now. This was silly, kids their age seldom kissed, let alone on the lips.

But oh, she proved time and time again, in his face or not, that she was not like other kids their age. The love she held for him was not just a silly little childhood puppy crush. If it had been, she would have moved on way back in preschool. But no. Her love never once wavered, it only grew stronger and intensified. It became clear to her that she would never stop loving him. It had been seven years, and she STILL loved him just as much if not more than she did at three years old. It was never an easy road. Unrequited love always did make you go through crazy feelings and stages. She couldn't help but feel pretty amazed at how Casana had managed to live through it for thirteen years and yet somehow managed to contain herself despite the stupid mistakes she'd made in the name of love. Stupid, and yet loving all at once.

Maybe her levels of showing devotion weren't as extreme or as experienced, but she did hit some crazy times in proving her love.

Right now, kissing him, was just one of them. Granted, kissing someone you loved wasn't the strangest thing in the world, maybe only slightly at ten years old, but it was romantic and sweet. Provided it was consensual.

His lips were soft, warm, and tasted like sweet apples and a tint of pomegranate. She could feel him stiffening up in surprise against her, and then relax a little as he merely accepted her kissing him. He didn't protest or try to move away, he just let her do her thing.

That was when the most amazing thing happened.

Helga's eyes popped open. She saw his eyes close, and felt one of his hands rest on her shoulder, while the other gently wove through her hair. But it wasn't just those little gestures that was catching her attention, though they did make her melt.

Arnold was _kissing her back_.

She thought she was daydreaming, heck, dreaming even, but no, the love of her of her life was kissing her back. In real life. While she was kissing him. He was gently touching her, and kissing her back.

The rain began to fall, a little harder, but neither of them noticed or cared. This moment between them was what truly mattered at this point.

Arnold had made the decision once she kissed him and he had managed to relax, to find a way to figure out how he felt about her. He hadn't expected her to kiss him, and yet, now looking back, he should have. They were so close together during an emotional reunion, it was no wonder Helga got a little lost in her love and wanted to express it as freely as she could. Now that she knew that he knew that she loved him, it was a bit more lenient, she didn't have to hide it so much anymore. The cat was out of the bag. At the same time, he knew she was also uneasy about it considering he didn't know how he felt about her. That was why he was kissing her back. And also, his deep down curiosity of what it felt like to kiss a girl in a mutual manner, having been stemmed from yesterday when he had briefly puckered his lips against hers when she had kissed him on the train.

So that was why he was kissing her back. To see how it felt. To see how he felt when kissing Helga like she kissed him. So far, it was...nice. Really nice. Granted, she was the only girl he kissed, or was kissed by, and had no one to compare it to, but it felt really nice. It felt so right.

They broke away, their half-lidded eyes meeting once more.

"Criminy, football head...what were you doing...?" Helga wanted to know, her tone completely betraying the demand of her question.

Arnold blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, Helga. I got carried away because I was so happy to see you."

That wasn't a complete lie, which made it easier to mask, being a lousy liar and all, but he wasn't quite ready to face this yet. At least not until he could think about it and they could sit down and talk it over.

"Figured." Helga pulled away. "Well come on, I'll go get our bags, I left 'em over there. You go get those guys over there to help us find shelter."

"Okay." Arnold nodded and jogged over to the former Akatsuki members while Helga went to retrieve their bags.

"Well well, that was quite a kiss there, Romeo."

Arnold blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um...yeah...well, um, if it's not too much trouble, could you guys help us find shelter from the rain?"

Casana giggled and nodded. "Of course. Oh, I'm Casana by the way. Casana Kusabana. It's so nice to finally meet you, Arnold. Helga told me so much about you." She smiled and held her hand out to him.

"Thanks Casana, it's nice to meet you too." Arnold smiled and shook her hand. He hadn't gotten a chance to really look at her when they'd first gotten here. She was a pretty girl with cute, youthful features, and her brown hair contrasted nicely with her pale skin and radiant, friendly blue eyes, framing her heart-shaped face. "I have to admit, you have a pretty name."

The brunette blushed and giggled. "Thank you, Arnold. That's very sweet of you. You have an interesting name, you don't hear it often around these parts." Suddenly she paused, frowning lightly.

"What's wrong?" Deidara then asked, and then looked around, a thoughtful frown crossing his features. "Wait...you feel it too, don't you?"

"Yes." Casana said. "Arnold, go get Helga now and stay close to us."

"Why? What's going on?"

"...We're being hunted."

--~~--

**And now for a hilarious, flantabulous flashback. Inspired by episode 23 of Naruto Abridged, by Vegeta3986 and MasakoX. X3 It makes no sense and is out of character, and just for laughs. The next bit after is pure stupidity.**

**Five minutes after the battle...**

**Deidara: Phew, I'm sure glad that's over.**

**Helga: What the heck just happened? Moreover, what happened to you?**

**Deidara: Fighting off that clone of Orochimaru...yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday.**

**Casana: It was five minutes ago!**

**Deidara: Yep, yesterday.**

_**FLASHBACK TIME!**_

_**Casana: Oh no! We're doomed! Quick Deidara, save us, you sexy sexy man!**_

_**REAL TIME!**_

**Casana: Okay, I did NOT say that!**

_**BACK TO THE FLASHBACK!**_

_**Kabuto/Orochimaru : Okay Deidara, I'm giving you ten seconds to hand over the girl! ...And the kids, apparently kidnapping kids is also what villainous scums do.**_

_**Deidara: Over my dead body! I'll protect them with my super special awesome and unstoppable art!**_

_**Kabuto/Orochimaru**__**: Well I wasn't expecitng that. I'll have to resort to attacking you! Fear my snake attacks!**_

_**Casana: No! Not the snakes! Deidara, protect me, with your-**_

_**BACK TO REAL TIME!**_

**Casana: The hell?! I did not say that!**

_**BACK TO THE FLASHBACK!**_

_**Deidara: No you won't, because with my art, I'm invincible!**_

_**Helga: Wow, that is so heroic and so romantic! When I grow up I want to be an artist just like you!**_

_**Arnold: Me too!**_

_**BACK TO REAL TIME!**_

**Helga: What the?! I didn't say that! **

_**BACK TO THE FLASHBACK!**_

_**Kabuto/Orochimaru: Noo! Curses! I'm outmatched! I better make a hasty retreat!**_

_**Deidara: All right! I saved the day again!**_

_**Casana: My hero! Kiss me, you sexy man!**_

_**BACK TO REAL TIME!**_

**Deidara: And that's how it happened.**

**Casana: No, no, it's not.**

**Arnold: I didn't do anything at all. That's not like me.**

**Helga: Oh quit whining!**

**Itachi: I'm back.**

**Casana: Why are you here?**

**Itachi: No idea. Okay, let's cut to the chase.**

**Deidara: Wait a minute, what could you possibly want from us? We have absolutely nothing of value. **

**Itachi: Casana, I want.....*Scary Uchiha Rape face* YOUR EYES!!!!!!!**

***Scary music***

**Helga: Wait...did he just say he wanted her eyes?**

**Arnold: I think he did.**

**Deidara: What could you possibly want with her eyes? Is it for the ability to read people's minds, to sense brain waves at a distance, and even inflict nightmares that may not cause physical pain on the victim but yet is still effective?**

**Itachi: No. I just want those beautiful blue eyes. ...Although the mind reading stuff is quite a bonus. So I'll just take them now.**

**Casana: Like hell you will!**

**Itachi: Fine then...Mangekyo Sharingan! I'll make you dance for 72 hours!**

**--**

**With the REAL Itachi and Kisame...**

**Kisame: Itachi, is the writer of this story on drugs?**

**Itachi: With the way her imagination works, I wouldn't be surprised.**

**--**

**Deidara: Hey Helga, I just realized something.**

**Helga: What's that?**

**Deidara: Both our voice actors, yours and my English one have the same last name.**

**Helga: Huh, what do you know. Funny coincidence. Think they're related?**

**Deidara: Nah, it's probably just a common coincidence.**

**Helga: Funny how they both took part in voicing temperamental, fiery blondes like you and I.**

**Deidara: I know, that's crazy.**

**Helga: You know what else is crazy, my creator is married to Matt Groening's sister, he's the guy who created The Simpsons.**

**Deidara: I wouldn't be surprised if my creator based Naruto off Dennis the Menace.**

**Helga: Why the heck are we talking about stuff like this?**

**Deidara: Because NintendoGal55 is trying to be funny. **

**Helga: Oh don't I know it. You should see the fanfictions she writes about Arnold and I. "Heat Wave" was the worst.**

**Deidara: I'll humour you then. Why was it that bad? Spelling or grammar issues? Stupid? No substance?**

**Helga: Nope. She didn't put in the smutty details to the sex scenes.**

**XD**

**Ain't I a stinker?**


	21. Crocodiles, Snakes, and Blood

**Previously on **_**The Ninja Story...**_

_**Deidara: Tell me where the bomb is!**_

_**Arnold: This isn't good, we only have twenty-four hours!**_

_**Casana: Everyone I've told about the scroll is dead!**_

_**Helga: What do you mean cut the blue wire?! They're ALL blue wires!**_

_**Casana: In all my years of research, I've never seen a virus reproduce this quickly.**_

_**Deidara: They told me enough! They told me you killed him!**_

_**Kabuto: No Deidara, I AM your father!**_

_**Deidara: No...that's not true! That's impossible!**_

_**Helga: Face it, he's NEVER coming out of that coma!**_

_**Arnold: We have to find it now before it's too late!**_

_**...**_

_**Anyway...what REALLY happened...**_

_**Deidara: What's wrong? ...Wait, you feel it too, don't you?**_

_**Arnold: What?**_

_**Casana: ...We're being hunted.**_

**And now, The Ninja Story Chapter 21...with 21% more Kabuto!**

**Oh yes, and SuprSingr, there's going to be a little something in here that you might recognize. ;)**

--~~--

"Not just that, we're surrounded." Deidara frowned, slipping his right hand into one of his clay packs.

"Where's Helga? You two need to stay close to us." Casana looked around, eyes scanning the area intently.

"Right here!" Helga came running to them, the bags in each hand. "What's going on? Why's everyone freaking out?"

A suspicious frown crossed Casana's face then and she tensed, raising her hand slightly. Before she could do or say anything, that was when Arnold then stepped up, an accusing frown marring his features.

"Where's Helga?" He demanded to her.

"Huh?! What are you talking about...I'm Helga!" Helga defended. "You're acting crazy!"

"I don't know how you did it, but you can't fool me." Arnold said, narrowing his eyes. "Who are you, and what did you do with the real Helga?"

"Arnold you're being ridiculous! It's me!"

"Then where's the cut on your face? I also noticed that you have two eyebrows. Helga has a unibrow."

"Arnold Arnold my darling little love and future husband, you don't know what you're saying." Helga said, shaking her head.

But Arnold wasn't convinced. "See, that's something Helga would never do. She'd never act affectionate and loving to me in front of other people."

"Furthermore, Helga isn't a ninja, and I can sense that you're using a disguising jutsu." Casana interjected. "Now show yourself!"

"Fine, so you saw right through my disguise. I'm still going to take you down!" The fake Helga made a handseal and there was a puff of smoke, revealing to be a Sound ninja. "We all will!"

It was then that the other Sound ninja appeared out of their hiding places, making themselves known to them. They were all dressed similarly, each sporting the forehead protector of their village, while some were dressed like that of Orochimaru's followers.

"We've got orders to kill you both, especially the Kusabana, there's a 65 million Ryo bounty on her head!" Said the tallest Sound ninja, pointing toward them. "Master Kabuto also wants to harness your DNA, and those eyes...you're worth more than your weight in gold, that's pretty sweet, isn't it?"

Casana scoffed. "Get real. I've been attempted to be assassinated more times than I can count. As far as I'm concerned, if Kabuto wants us dead so much, he should be a man and come fight us ourselves."

"What did you do with Helga? You better not have hurt her!" Arnold demanded, his anger rising.

"Arnold, stay out of this." Deidara hissed, holding an arm out to block him. "You'll only get yourself hurt or killed."

"Your girlfriend's a little tied up, kid." Said the tall Sound ninja with a wide smirk. "She ain't important to us, but hey, waste not want not."

"You leave her alone. She has nothing to do with you." Casana snarled, shooting the Sound ninjas her most menacing glare.

"You're in no position to call the shots here." Said another Sound ninja as he stepped forward toward the brunette. "But if you cooperate, then maybe we'll let her live, if we're feelin' generous." He reached out to grab her.

Immediately, she grabbed his arm and effortlessly twisted it with a sickening crunch, making him howl in pain before she kicked him aside onto the ground.

"Whoa, shit!" Exclaimed one of the ninjas in surprise.

"You suckers are making a huge mistake." Deidara said, rolling his eyes and producing some clay, feeding it to his hand mouth. "She's not someone you want to mess with."

"We're getting nowhere with this, let's just get them!" Yelled the leader of the bunch.

The ninjas moved in toward them, weapons in hand and performing various hand seals as they readied their next jutsu. In a swift move to avoid the katana coming at him, Deidara smirked, grabbed Arnold and tossed his clay model onto the ground, which expanded into a large owl. He jumped onto it, and it rose into the air. It was mostly to get Arnold out of harm's way, but also, being a long-range specialist, was part of his plan.

"Get him, he's a long-range specialist!" The leader of them yelled.

"Don't think so. Instead I'll show you the true meaning of a beautiful artwork." The terrorist bomber smirked, and tossed down a few clay spiders.

Before the ninjas leaping up toward them had time to react, the spiders had landed on their faces, temporarily blinding them and sending them back down to the ground, squirming and trying to pray the explosive clay models off with no avail. Once a fair distance up from the ground, Deidara smirked widely and had them explode, promptly finishing them off.

Back down below, the ninjas moved in on Casana, who created a few hand seals and inhaled deeply before releasing a stream of fire from her mouth, scorching a few of the ninjas, while only singing the clothing of some others. One ninja snuck up on her from behind, swinging his katana in an attempt to cut off her head, but she ducked, only succeeding in slicing off some strands of her hair.

She went over to one of them on the ground, grabbing him by the front of his outfit and yanking him up to her level.

"Where's Helga?!" She demanded, her voice laced with pure venom.

He cowered under her menacing, animal-like glare and gulped. "I-I-I-I-I-I...."

"I said, _where's Helga_?!" Casana snarled.

"Right here, bitch!"

Whirling around, she saw one of the Sound ninja standing on the water, next to an enormous, overhanging tree where Helga was tied up to a branch, dangling over the water, with a scarf around her mouth, squirming as she tried to free herself with no avail.

"Helga! No!" Arnold cried from above. "What are you doing with her?!"

"Let's just say she'll be a little snack for our friend in the lake..." Said the Sound ninja.

"What do you mean?!" Casana demanded, running toward the water. "What man-eater could possibly be living in this lake?!"

One of the Sound ninja, seeing her distracted and seemingly off-guard, ran up toward her from behind, about to initiate a sneak attack. But the moment he came within inches of her, Casana growled and threw back her fist, connecting with his face. Momentarily stunned, he fell back to the ground.

"Just watch and see." The Sound ninja on the water smirked, and tossed a rock into the water toward where Helga was.

Moments later, a 25-foot crocodile shot out of the water, clamped the Sound ninja in its powerful jaws from below him, and went back below the surface, the water then turning red. Helga's eyes widened and she let out a muffled scream of terror.

"Holy shit...that wasn't supposed to happen! You stupid croc! Get the girl! Not us! You're supposed to listen to us!" Yelled the leader.

"HELGA!!!" Arnold yelled in terror, nearly about to jump down and save her himself, but Deidara grabbed him and held him back.

"I've got it covered, kid." He assured him.

Creating a clay fish, Deidara dropped it down into the crocodile's mouth just as it launched out of the water in an attempt to grab Helga. It fell into it's mouth, and promptly shut its jaws, going back down into the water. Moments later, it then exploded, spewing blood and guts all over the place, some of it hitting Helga.

"That's your biggest flaw in this." Casana stated the leader. "You used a wild crocodile. They're predators, not pets or summonings."

"You think you've won? Well not so fast, you think that's the only crocodile in the lake?"

Casana's eyes went wide in alarm. That was when a crocodile emerged from the lake, crawling onto the shore toward her. This one was a bit smaller, about 20 feet, with darker and more distinct scales than the first, it was of the saltwater breed. It went for her, snapping its jaws menacingly. Fear was overtaking her as she backed away, trying to think quick on her feet without much success. She then quickly leaped out of the way of its snapping jaws, landing behind it, but far enough to avoid its tail.

"Go! Right behind you!" The leader yelled to it.

Responding to his voice, the crocodile went for him then, causing the Sound ninja leader to back away in fear, tripping on a large rock. He fell to the ground, and before he could move away further, his legs were immediately caught in the crocodile's jaws.

"BOSS!" The other Sound ninja ran in to help him.

Seeing them distracted, Casana took out a kunai, scraped the blade across her palm, making a straight line cut. Blood poured out from the wound, she created a few handseals and slapped her hand against the ground, summoning symbol creating along the ground. There was a puff of smoke, which soon cleared to reveal the animal she'd summoned.

"Two can play at this game..." She said to herself.

To further add irony to the situation, she summoned one of her few animals, a crocodile. It was a male, about 30 feet long, dark green and black scales, wearing a blue vest and an Iwagakure forehead protector around his head. It resembled that of an Asian Pacific crocodile.

(Note: The Asian Pacific crocodile was the breed used in the movie _Lake Placid_)

"Kuraitoru, I need you to help me rescue our friend there." Casana said, indicating where the blonde girl was hanging. "And do you have any idea how Lake Mononoke suddenly became infested with crocodiles?"

The summoned crocodile, Kuraitoru, paused as he considered her question and shook his head. "I haven't been told of that. We usually shy away from here, even the wild ones rarely ever come by around here due to the climate in the area during the colder months." He glanced to where his brethren counterpart had pulled his latest victim into the water, shaking his head solemnly. "I suppose these Sound ninja had something to do with it."

"That's what I figured." Casana agreed, frowning a bit. "Anyway, I need you to rescue Helga over there. I'd do it myself, but trust me on this, I have a plan, and I'll need your help."

Kuraitoru nodded. "All right. Leave it to me."

He went into the water, not evoking much of a response from the other crocodile, who was swimming stealthily toward where Helga was hanging. Kuraitoru went quicker, but not enough to try to antagonize the other crocodile. He reached the spot and leaped quickly out of the water, cutting the rope with his jaws. Helga screamed and fell into the water, just as the other crocodile approached, its mouth wide open and ready to devour her.

But then Kuraitoru immediately grabbed her into his own jaws, gently but hard enough to get a good grip on her. With his chakra, he had retracted his teeth in order to make his jaws toothless and consisting of his gums so that he wouldn't hurt her. Helga was scared at first to be within a crocodile's jaws, but given that this one wasn't eating or hurting her, she soon relaxed. The summoned crocodile swam back toward shore, while the other simply sank under the water, doing who-knows-what, but apparently not chasing after him.

"Don't worry Helga, you're safe now." Kuraitoru told her, his voice slightly deterred. "I won't eat you."

"Mm?!!?" Helga uttered in confusion, surprised than this thing could talk. She'd seen Casana strangely summon it out of nowhere, and saw her talking to it, but had no idea it could talk back.

They reached shore and Kuraitoru gently released her onto the ground. Casana went over and cut the rest of the ropes with a kunai, and removed the scarf from around her mouth.

"Okay, okay, what the heck is going on here?! First a crocodile tries to eat me, then this one here apparently SAVES me and can TALK! And why the heck were those ninjas attacking us?!" Helga immediately demanded as she stood up, wiping her face of water and the rain still falling. "And how the heck can that thing fly?!"

"Calm down, Helga. It's okay, you're safe now." Casana coaxed. "I'll explain everything."

The clay owl landed on the ground near them, and Arnold ran to Helga, immensely relieved.

"Helga! Are you okay? What happened to you?"

"I'm FINE, football head! I was kidnapped, tied up, nearly got eaten, got saved by a TALKING crocodile, and apparently those big white birds can fly! I'm JUST peachy!" Helga snapped, crossing her arms.

Despite her snappy attitude, Arnold just smiled, relieved that the real Helga was back. "I know it was probably scary, but at least you're okay, right?"

Softening a bit, she shrugged. "I guess so." She looked back at the brunette. "So explain. What's going on?"

"I guess I'll start from the beginning. We were being hunted by Sound ninjas, apparently under the orders of..." Her voice trailed off. "Anyway, they're after us, especially me because there's a high price bounty on my head. Ninjas have been attempting to assassinate me for years because of it, especially rogues. But anyway, so they surrounded us, sent out one disguised as you to try to fool us and throw us off balance. Then this all happened, they somehow managed to bring in wild crocodiles into Lake Mononoke, which is weird considering it was never infested with creatures like that. So I called on my friend here to help."

"I don't believe we were introduced." Said Kuraitoru with a polite nod. "I'm Kuraitoru, a summoning crocodile. I have been serving Master Casana since she was but a young child." He had a cool, calm sophisticated voice and sounded very British, something like David Attenborough.

"He was my first summoning animal, I have quite a few but he was my first." Casana added, gently stroking the croc's head.

"Indeed. And with my chakra, I was able to retract my teeth into my gums so that I would be able to hold you in my mouth and transport you back to shore safely without hurting you." Kuraitoru explained. "Am I to guess that you two are not very familiar with summoning animals such as myself?"

Arnold shook his head. "No, we're not. Where we come from, animals don't normally talk."

"Ah." Kuraitoru nodded. "Well then I suppose you two are in for quite a treat."

"How do we know you're not gonna sneak up and eat us while we sleep or something?" Helga asked suspiciously. "You may be able to talk and are some kind of a pet, but you're still a predator."

The crocodile laughed. "I can see as to why you're suspicious of me about that. Yes, I am indeed a predator and could easily eat either one of you. At least not without some proper manoeuvres in order to eat you properly, since we prefer to eat in one bite. But I am also a summoning animal, and we are highly trained and skilled beings, professional code, you might say. I would of course never dare eat Master Casana or anyone simply because I was hungry. Not unless she ordered me to. Besides, we crocodiles do have a slow metabolism and-"

"Yeah, you can go for weeks without eating if you have a huge meal. On the other hand, you do still catch your prey and take them to your nesting place to save for later. And for example if your prey hide in a tree, you'll actually sit there and wait for weeks on end. You also watch and follow your prey to become familiar with their routine, and can swim underwater up to twenty miles an hour, you use your tail to propel out of the water to jump up a few feet, and you're both fast in water and on land. Your gender is decided upon temperature, and you apparently have homing senses. And you're an Asian Pacific crocodile." Helga interjected smartly.

Silence fell then, the only sounds heard were the rain falling upon the ground and the lake. Casana giggled, Arnold stared at Helga in bafflement, and Deidara smirked in amusement.

"Well, it seems you've done your homework." Kuraitoru remarked with as close to a caiman smile as any crocodile could get, amused.

"Well doi, I had to give a book report last week about crocs and gators." She looked up at the sky and wiped her face again. "Okay, it's starting to rain a little too hard for comfort right now, mind getting us to some shelter before we all catch pneumonia?"

All of a sudden, everyone fell silent and their eyes were wide, but not looking at her, looking past her.

"What?! What are you all looking at?!" Helga demanded, hands on her hips.

"Helga, don't move, don't run." Arnold said quietly. "The crocodile is right behind you."

She could hear the soft, purr-like growling of the crocodile behind her, confirming what he'd said. Tensing up, her breathing quickened and she felt more scared than she'd ever been in her life.

"Helga, it's okay...just stay right where you are..." Casana whispered. "Don't make ANY sudden movements...we'll take care of it, don't worry."

"No...no...no...." The blonde girl shook uncontrollably, practically feeling the crocodile's breath on her. She shut her eyes, shivering. "Please...no...no...."

"We won't let it get you. Calm down."

Slowly, as quietly as she could, Casana pulled her machete out from its sheathe on her back, her eyes trained on the crocodile, which was still situated behind Helga, approaching VERY slowly, just waiting to pounce. It was taking its time, obviously not starving, and toying with them.

"Helga....listen to me. I'm going to count to three, and when I do, go as fast as you can toward Arnold." Casana whispered. "Got it? Helga, look at me."

Helga shakily opened her eyes, looking up at her pleadingly with terror.

"You're going to be fine. Trust me." She paused then, looking at Arnold. "Arnold, you talk to her, try to calm her down. I think she'll respond better to you."

"Okay." Arnold whispered, turning to Helga, trying to keep his own fear under control. "Helga...you're going to be okay. You're going to make it out of this. And when you do...we'll go find shelter, we'll have marshmallows over a fire. We'll share stories...I'll sit with you and we'll have fun together. I care about you Helga, don't doubt it. You're going to get out of this. Do you trust me?" He held his hand out toward her.

Still shaking, Helga felt comforted and soothed by his words, his sweet voice. The very person who was her sunshine on a rainy day. In response, she held her hand out to him, despite that they were some feet apart.

"I....I trust you....Arnold...."

"Okay Helga, get ready... One." Casana said. "Two."

The crocodile inched a little closer.

"Three!"

Helga ran for Arnold, and the crocodile ran at her, its jaws wide and was an inch away from devouring her, its jaws grazing her leg. Casana hurriedly threw her machete at it, striking through its lower jaw, pinning it to the ground. It faltered, tried to free itself, but then fell limp as it died.

"Okay, we got him." Casana said, releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Kuraitoru crawled over to the crocodile, nudging it a couple of times with his snout. He nodded. "Yes, she's dead."

"Yeesh, she's huge." Deidara walked over to it, kicking it lightly in the side. Grimacing, he grabbed Casana's machete from its mouth and pulled it out. "She must've had a big meal recently, no wonder she didn't just eat Helga like that. There aren't anymore in there, right?"

"No. There are not, that was the last one." Kuraitoru shook his head. He paused then. "However... I am smelling eggs. It seems that this one just recently laid eggs not too far from here."

"So they had a nest set up too. How many?"

"Six."

Deidara nodded, and turned to Casana. "You keep an eye on these two, I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Casana asked worriedly.

"The nest. There's eggs here, and if they hatch, the lake will be swarming with more of these guys. Wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"

Casana shook her head. "No. What will we do with them?"

"Perhaps I can help with that. I can bring them to my brethren, and we will look after them ourselves. Perhaps, even make them useful." Kuraitoru said.

"....Okay." Casana conceded. "But BE careful. Please."

"Relax, I'll be fine." Deidara assured her, and turned back to the summoning croc. "Take me to them, we'll get them out of here."

"Right," Kuraitoru nodded. "Follow me. We will not be long, Master Casana."

The two went off into the brush, leaving Casana with the kids. She watched them go, and then went back to tend to the others.

"You two okay?" She asked softly, kneeling down next to them.

"We're fine, Helga's just in shock, and her leg is bleeding." Arnold said, holding Helga close to him as she sobbed into his chest in pain and fright.

Casana nodded. "I'll tend to her immediately, you just keep her close." She reached into her pack and produced a cloth, some ointment and a roll of gauze.

Her leg had been cut badly by the crocodile's jaws, but it was nothing more than just a deep gash. If it had cut any closer, half of her leg would have been ripped off. She knelt down and wiped off the excess blood, using the healing chakra to help kill the pain and rid it of any infection. She added ointment, and then wrapped the gauze around the wound.

"Don't worry Helga, you're safe now, it's dead, it's gone. You're going to be fine." Arnold whispered to her, rubbing her back and stroking her hair in comfort.

Despite the trauma, fright, pain, and everything else involved, Helga felt comforted and warm in his embrace, and his sweet voice speaking those soothing words to her. She stopped sobbing, resorting to some little sniffles. She didn't even care that she was vulnerable and scared and crying right in front of them, much less other people. What had happened was beyond terrifying and traumatizing, she'd gone into shock because of it. Slowly she was recovering under his comfort, which helped. The pain in her leg faded away as she felt it being healed and tended to, which also helped along.

"You're going to be fine, Helga... I know you're in shock right now, but don't worry, we'll get to some shelter and you can rest, you'll be fine." Arnold whispered, hugging her tighter to him. He too, had been terrified for her, scared that she would be crocodile food and he would lose her.

No. He couldn't even think about it, not even when he had witnessed it seconds from happening. If she had died, he would never have been able to forgive himself. He wanted to uphold his promise to her until the end. And he would, he vowed to, especially now. If she were gone, it would no doubt feel as if a part of him would go with her.

Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts. Now was not the time. She was alive, she was safe. That was what mattered.

Taking a breath, he continued to hold her, and then, for a reason he didn't understand, yet felt so right, he raised her head ever so slightly and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. He felt Helga stiffen in surprise, but immediately relaxed in his embrace and snuggled into him appreciatively.

"Thanks....A-Arnold..." Helga uttered between soft trembles.

Arnold smiled and rubbed her back, his other hand gently stroking her hair again. "You're welcome, Helga. ...Hey listen, I'll sing to you a little, that's what my Grandma does to cheer me up."

She didn't respond, only closed her eyes in bliss and trying to ignore the pain, trauma and terror she still felt, still in shock about it, but made no protest or anything against him. Now was not the time. She wanted him, no, needed him now, and the last thing she wanted was to force him away.

He cleared his throat, and sang the same song he had once sang to the sick mule he had raced some time ago.

"_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine... You make me happy when skies are gray... You'll never know dear, how much I love you... Please don't take my sunshine away..._"

--~~--

"...You've brought the sample, I presume?" Spoke the darkly cloaked figure in the room.

"Yes, Master." Replied a Sound ninja. "I have acquired some strands of her hair, and blood."

"Bring them to me."

The Sound ninja placed the bagged items into the figure's hand. Inside the bag were strands of brown hair, and some drops of blood. The cloaked figure took the bag, walking over to a forensics scanner, where he placed the hair and drops of blood. Information appeared on a nearby computer, where he then walked to, typing in a few commands.

The figure lowered his hood, now revealing to be Kabuto. Along with Orochimaru's golden snake-like eyes and his facial markings. He'd been true about what he had said before, that Orochimaru lived within him now, and was continuing his handywork. As well as...a few other things.

He smiled devilishly as he read over the DNA code information, typing in a few commands, revealing some charts.

"Amazing..." Kabuto murmured. "We can now harness the true power of her genetic code."

"What will you do with it, Master Kabuto?"

"In time, you'll see." Kabuto responded calmly. "But know this, that with this power, I will..."

He turned to face the ninja, smiling sadistically, yet calmly.

"Bring forth what it truly should be meant for."

--

**OH NO! D: What is Kabuto up to, and why does he need Casana's DNA? Will we ever find out? And when the hell is the plot going to move along?!**

**So why the use of the crocodiles? XD Well, that was actually because I've been a little influenced. Been watching **_**Alligator, Lake Placid, Lake Placid 2, Rogue, Primeval**_**. Killer crocodile movies (save for the first, that's an alligator) have brought out this idea to add a little tension and drama.**

**And to create Casana's first summoning animal. XD Yay!**

**So what will happen next? We'll see. :D**

**And oh, sorry for the fillers. I only do them to further strengthen the bond between the characters, since the romance and friendship and teamwork ARE the main sub-plot. Plus, my adventure and action skills suck, but I try. So please, please bear with me. :3 Thanks a lot.**


	22. Safe?

**All right, I have an important question to ask. Should I make the chapters much longer? I really want to, but I was always hesitant in doing so because I didn't want the story to end so quickly. But now I see that I think I can make longer chapters and still prolong it somewhat.**

**Thanks! :D**

**So I introduced Kuraitoru in the previous chapter. As you know, he's a summoning animal and was Casana's first summon. She learned summoning from Jiraiya and was given Kuraitoru as a gift. Kuraitoru himself is among the leading men of the summoning crocodiles, and is highly respected among his peers. He's sophisticated, intelligent, strong, powerful, gentle, kind, patient, very warm and very Grandfather-like. And he has a British accent. (Not that the Naruto world attributes it as such) XD Sounding like men such as David Attenborough or the man who played Nick Flippers in **_**Hoodwinked!**_** I created him on the spot, believe it or not. XD He's definitely in stark contrast to his wild brethren, but hey, all the summoning animals are unique! He also has some hair! And eyebrows. XD**

**Oh, and the nest is inspired by the crocodile nest that took place in **_**Lake Placid 2.**_

**....And now for another shameless plug-in. XD Referring back to the first part of chapter 21. Which was inspired in episode...er...I forget which episode of Naruto it was, but it was in the beginning of the second round of the Chuunin exams, in the Forest of Death when a Rain Ninja uses the henge to disguise himself as Naruto...to which Sasuke immediately catches since the ninja not only didn't have the cut that he received from Anko earlier on, but also that he had his shuriken holster on his left leg, and Naruto had it on his right since he's right-handed.**

**XD And now I'm going to parody it thanks to Naruto The Abridged Series episode 13. Because I'm bad. :D**

_**Everyone is "ever so" bored...**_

_**Helga: So...what do we do now?**_

_**Deidara: Duh, move the story along, I guess.**_

_**Helga: Oh hang on, I'll be right back! *Goes over behind a bush* Oh no!**_

_***Sounds of punches and kicks are heard off screen***_

_***She then emerges wearing a blue bow, a T-shirt that says "I Am Helga" and has two eyebrows***_

_**Fake Helga: Hay guys, it's me, Hell Girl.**_

_**Arnold: You're not Helga.**_

_**Fake: Helga: What. Do. You. Mean?**_

_**Arnold: Dude, there's so many reasons you're not Helga, it's not even funny.**_

_**Sound ninja: *Transforms* You saw through my disguise, you're quite clever.**_

_**Casana: No. You just suck.**_

--~~--

"They are right in here, the scent is coming from inside." Kuraitoru nudged his snout in the direction of a nest that was located not far from the lake, in a small grove with shallow water.

The nest was a small alcove made of small twigs and branches, almost like a beaver's dam, except that it was on land accessible. Inside, six eggs, which were round and pretty big, lay in a small bundle together.

"You're right, they were pretty territorial." Deidara remarked, stepping over to the entrance and peering in at them. "They sure got busy. ...How ready to hatch would you say they are?"

Kuraitoru came up beside him, inspecting the eggs and smelling them. "Well, it seems that they will be ready to hatch in approximately two days. We will know upon the chirping noises they make, which is how they let their mother know they are ready to hatch."

"Well shit. We'll have to get these guys out of here fast." Deidara took off his cloak and spread it out beside the eggs. "Still, if the Sound ninja did bring those crocodiles here, why would they do so days before we even came here? We weren't even planning on passing this area until we found Helga. It doesn't make any sense. A clever trap, but definitely not well thought out. They got lucky, sure."

"Hmmm...." Kuraitoru considered his words. "That is indeed a questionable trap they set. It would seem they may have had different motives, perhaps?"

"Maybe. Considering they used both a female and a male crocodile, in order for them to mate and lay eggs here. Well, my best guess is maybe we had nothing to do with it at all. Maybe they were trying to raise and breed crocodiles in secret in order to use against their enemies. Which seriously backfired on their part, the cowards. Maybe our showing up here made us Guinea Pigs." Deidara carefully picked up on egg, inspecting it. "Wow." He placed it onto his cloak, and then went for another one.

"Perhaps you're right, Master Deidara." Kuraitoru nodded in agreement. "Master Casana was indeed right, the flaw in their plan was using wild ones of my brethren and while we summoned animals are not completely under orders of those who summon us, we are indeed a better...server, so to speak."

"Either there's a reason for that, or they're idiots." Deidara stated bluntly, shaking his head. "Obviously they treated the crocs like dirt, I could tell. That only serves to provoke them."

"Indeed." The summoning crocodile nodded again. "Though even if treated kindly, my wild brethren would only react as a predator to prey would. Perhaps their plan would not have been as flawed if they used one like myself."

"Like I said, they must have been idiots. No wonder, they already made a mistake in picking a fight with Casana." He smirked lightly at this, and placed another egg on his cloak. "She may be a stark contrast compared to someone like myself, but messing with her is about as smart as what we're doing right now. Even if the crocs in question are long gone."

Kuraitoru chuckled knowingly. "You are indeed very observant and intelligent to recognize such things, Master Deidara."

"What can I say, it's how I was trained." Deidara replied simply. He carefully wrapped the eggs in his cloak and picked it up, cradling them carefully. "C'mon, let's get out of here and get the kids to safety."

"It seems you have taken a liking to them." Kuraitoru remarked as he followed Deidara out of the nest.

"Tch, please. They're all right, that Arnold kid's a good egg, Helga's interesting, but eh, it doesn't matter. Don't get ideas, I'm just doing this because I know Casana won't turn her back on them. She always does that, with animals and people. You know her, it's impossible to break her away from helping others. I may be bad, but I'm not that heartless. I just follow along because I love her too damn much sometimes."

The crocodile chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Be that as you say, Master Deidara."

"Damn right, be that as I say."

It was still raining, and they came upon Casana attempting to shield the two embracing kids under an umbrella constructed out of vines from the rain. Arnold was kneeling on the ground, still embracing Helga tightly while the said girl was relaxed in his arms, despite her trauma and injury.

"I swear Casana, you barely know them and you already play mommy to them. It's times like this I wonder why you even joined the Akatsuki."

Casana stuck her tongue out in playful defiance.

"Oh yeah, real mature." Deidara rolled his eyes, looking down at the eggs so that she wouldn't see the warm smile on his face. "Well anyway, I got the eggs here. According to your reptilian friend here, they're set to hatch in about two days, and those wild crocs we just killed were here long before we got here." He placed them on the ground for Kuraitoru to take.

"I will take them back then, and make sure they are properly cared for. Good day to you all." Said Kuraitoru, and disappeared in a puff of smoke along with the eggs.

"But why would they let crocodiles loose here before we even planned to come here? That doesn't make sense." Casana frowned.

"That's what I said. Guess maybe they were idiots, or were planning to just be assholes and plant a bunch of these things in the lake to kill people who came by."

"Or...maybe they were planning to breed and raise them here, in a private place where no one would really think to look, and then once they're big and ready, use them for whatever purpose they wanted them for? Our arrival here being just a simple coincidence. Although that just raises more questions."

The blonde gave a snort. "Do you always have to counter me with logic and digging deeper?"

Casana smiled. "You wouldn't learn if I didn't."

"Why do I even put up with you?" Despite the question, it was on the verge of being flirtatious. "Sometimes I question your sanity."

"Because you can't resist the Kusabana charm and you'd be lost without me around."

"Why do you have to know me so well?" Came the sarcastic reply.

"Because I know you better than you give me credit for. I know deep down you have a soft side even though you deny it."

At the comedic display, the two kids parted and watched them as they playfully argued and initiate thinly veiled flirting.

"Why does this look so familiar?" Helga wondered out loud, though she knew very well what the answer to that was. Shaking her head, she stepped forward in a slight limp. "Hey! You guys can flirt later, we got things to do here!"

The older ninjas both blushed, looking away from each other before reverting back to their usual "business" front.

"You're right, Helga." Casana nodded. "We should get out of this rain before you two catch a cold. Not to worry, some ways off from here, there's a safe house that belongs to a former colleague of ours. It's isolated, secluded, perfectly safe. Only we and our colleague know about it. We'll be safe there until we can figure out what to do next about all of this. I'll carry you there Helga, because of your injury."

"No! I don't need to be carried! I'm fine!" The blonde girl crossed her arms petulantly, pouting.

"Funny, I seem to recall you having no problems when I carried you on my back." Casana smiled knowingly. "I hate to say this but if we walk it'll only slow us all down because neither of you can run like we can. Especially now that you have an injured leg. It's no problem, we don't mind carrying you."

"Allow me." Deidara swiftly moved to her and picked her up bridal style. "Maybe you'll feel better having a man carrying you."

"Don't get any ideas, Hair Man." Helga muttered.

"I'm not a pedophile, and frankly you're not my type."

"Works for me."

Casana snickered and looked down at Arnold. "Yep. They're going to get along just fine." She crouched on the ground so he could get onto her back.

"I guess so." Arnold agreed, cracking a smile and getting onto her back. For a moment he gave a little sniff of her scent. She smelled like flowers.

Before long, they fled the area and headed north east.

"Man, I wish I could run like you guys can."

A raven was perched in a tree, watching them go before it flew off into the horizon within the rain.

--~~--

It wasn't long before they arrived at the proclaimed safe house. It was a simple, two-story ranch style house in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the dense trees of the forest, and a little lily pond over next to it. It had also sported a wrap-around porch, and a well some yards away from the front.

"Well, here we are." Casana said, as if they needed to know.

"Mm, not bad, looks all right. Now put me down!"

"It's really nice." Arnold got down from the brunette's back. "It'll be nice to have a place to stay for a bit."

"Let's get you guys inside before we end up dealing with an injury and two sets of colds."

"Shut up or I'll be giving you an injury in a second!" Helga threatened.

They all went inside, coming to a quaint living room with a fireplace, a faux fur carpet, a couch, a recliner, and an easy chair along with a television sat around the room. To the left were a set of stairs, and up ahead led into the kitchen. They took off their shoes, and Deidara went and placed Helga on the couch, setting her up comfortably.

"Wow, looks like the arsonist artist has a heart after all." Helga teased.

"Hey, I may be bad but I'm not that heartless." Deidara rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Looks like you and I are on the same page then. So who's going to get a fire going?"

"That's a nice idea, I'll start one up right now." Casana said, going over to the fireplace. She created a couple of hand seals and blew fire from her mouth and into the logs in the fireplace.

"WHOA!" Helga gaped in shock, her jaw dropping. "How did you do that?! You just shot fire from your mouth on command!"

"The same way I make my art explode on command." Deidara answered for her. "Ninjutsu and chakra."

"Wow." Helga lay back against the cushions, propping her bad leg on one of them laying ahead of her. "This is one heck of a crazy world."

"I guess I still have some thorough explaining to do." Casana said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, why don't we all get changed out of these wet clothes and we'll tell you all about it over some marshmallows?"

"You have marshmallows? Really?"

"Of course! I'll go get them, we can toast them, just like you said we would."

--~~--

"We did it. We found her." A voice spoke out.

"...I see. Is _he_ with her?"

"Yup. And apparently they got busy over the years. They've got two little brats with them, around ten years old, a boy and a girl. The boy has one hell of a birth defect with that weird oblong head of his!"

A figure standing in the darkness, with equally dark ebony eyes reflecting in the dim light of the room, stepped more toward a lit candle, a pair of pale hands holding a small book appeared as a face came clear.

"Idiot. She's nineteen years old, and unless they reached puberty at ten and eleven years old, and getting pregnant, it's impossible."

"Jeez, relax, will ya? Just callin' it as I see it."

"Oh, shut UP! He is right you know, unless he managed to get her pregnant at ten years old, it's impossible, you damn idiot. They must've adopted." Shouted a new voice, this time female.

"Well excuse me for maybe not knowing that bit of information regarding their ages and-"

"Enough. Both of you. Did you see where they were going?"

"Oh, yeah. They headed north east, something about a safe house or something. Don't know, I came here after they left."

"Hn, you should have followed them. ...Never mind, it should be easy to find them at this point."

A pale hand indicated to a map sitting on the table, pinpointing a location within the Wind Country.

"If they are heading to a safe house, then it's likely they'll be there tonight. If we move out quickly, they won't be able to make it past this village before we find them."

"Okay, seriously, do you _really_ need her? Don't you think you've got enough with us already? Come on, what more could you possibly need to track down-"

"Hey! Don't question him! He makes the decisions, and we're expected to follow them! So shut up and keep your stupid questioning to yourself! He doesn't need to hear all of this!"

"I didn't ask you, bi-"

"Stop." Snapped the commanding voice. The other two voices immediately silenced. "I need her, she will be of great use to us. And it is true, as we found out, the Akatsuki no longer exists...not the same way it used to, so she has nowhere to go. No orders to follow. The time is well and right. Her Kekki Genkai, though unlike that of my own, is what I'm after."

"Then why don't you just kill her and take her eyes? If they mean that much, you can always do that."

"The eyes I bear are that of my clan. Out of the question. She too, proudly bears the eyes and blood of her clan...it wouldn't be right of me to take them away like that. No. I won't just take her eyes. I need her as a whole. She is talented, the last of her clan, the Kusabana. ...You can say we have a great deal of common indeed."

"Uh, yeah, I kinda knew that already."

"Shut up!"

"You shut up. Hey, what about that terrorist bomber she's always with?"

"Hn...he has nothing on me. He is a long-range specialist...he will be no problem if he dares try to interfere."

"We could just kill him anyway. And those two kids too, then she'd had no reason to try to escape. It's obvious they're her motivation, so don't you think we should dispatch of them?"

"Not unless it's necessary. If anything, we can simply get her away from them."

"How we going to do that?"

"I have a plan...."

The figure stepped into the light, his eyes now laced scarlet, with the Sharingan. Sasuke Uchiha glanced down at the Bingo Book again, reading the information displayed on one particular page.

**Casana Kusabana**

**Birthdate: May 17**

**Gender: F**

**Height: 168 cm**

**Hair: Brown**

**Eyes: Blue, Pink (Nentougan)**

**Blood Type: AB**

**Weight: 123 lbs**

**Rank: Chuunin**

**Classification: Missing Nin**

**Affiliation: Unknown**

**Previous Affiliation: Village Hidden in the Stones (Iwagakure)**

**Ninja Registration: IW-735517**

**Nature Type: **

_**Earth**_

_**Water **_

_**Fire **_

_**Ice**_

_**Wind**_

_**Snow**_

**Ninjutsu: 5  
Taijutsu: 4.5  
Genjutsu: 4.5  
Intelligence: 4.5  
Strength: 5  
Speed: 5  
Stamina: 4.5  
Hand Seals: 5  
Total: 38 **

**Missions:****  
D: 7  
C: 26  
B: 39  
A: 14  
S: 9**

**Total: 95**

--~~--

The very long day passed, and soon night fell. The area around the safe house was quiet, despite the rain that continued to fall even now. It had rained pretty much all day since it began, not showing any signs of slowing down.

In the little sun room porch on the second floor at the back of the house, Casana was sitting on the floor, her back up against a pillow propped against the wall as she stared outside through the floor-to-ceiling screen windows, listening to the rain falling all around outside. She was dressed for bed, in a green night shirt that went past her knees, her feet barefoot. She sat with her legs upraised, fiddling with her headband in her hands.

"Didn't you already have enough of trying to get out of the rain?"

Her gaze turned to the door, and she smiled. "Is it so wrong that I like to take the time to sit and watch and listen to the rain?"

"Yeesh, sorry I asked." Deidara shook his head and came into the room, sitting down on the floor beside her. "Okay, you look pretty troubled now. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. It doesn't even matter anyhow." Casana looked away.

"No, it's not. I know you too damn well. I think I'd know it by now if something was troubling you. So you can tell me or we can play this dumb game all night long. Come on. Snake got your tongue?"

She looked at him with a little smile. "You can read me like a book, can't you? Fine. Guess I may as well come out with it. It's been a long time since I felt this way, but earlier on...with everything that happened at Lake Mononoke, I actually got really scared."

"Scared? You?" Deidara looked down at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...yeah. I mean, everything happened so unexpectedly. And Helga...she was almost eaten twice. And I felt so powerless and scared, because against a ninja I'd be able to defend and protect her, but...from a crocodile, it would have had her in two seconds flat. I was scared of something happening to her. When it nearly got her when she hung from that tree, and then when it was right behind her. It could have had her! I was so scared for her life that I almost couldn't think straight. I've only known her for a day, I know, but I guess you can say we really established a connection."

"Oh, so that's it. Fighting with your emotions again, you always did let your emotions get the best of you."

"I can't help it, okay!?" She snapped defensively.

"Hey, calm down." Deidara took her upraised hand, not the least bit phased. "It's not always the best thing to do, but hey, it's who you are. It's what makes you special. So you were scared. Of course you'll get scared sometimes. Come on, you may be a ninja, but you're still a human being. We all are. I wouldn't be so passionate and devoted to my creations if I wasn't human. You're always telling me that having feelings doesn't make someone weak, it makes them human."

Casana sighed and shook her head, looking up at him then. "You're right, I know. I wasn't calling myself weak or anything, I guess I just felt scared at how powerless I was back there."

"Powerless? Please, that's bullshit if I ever heard it. Casana, last I checked, you're stronger than me."

"Deidara, you know we can't compare each other's strength. We're strong in our own rights." Casana smiled.

"Dude, have you compared our stat charts?" Deidara snorted, and smirked, knocking the side of her head lightly with his fist. "Hello? Anyone in there? You surpass me in Taijutsu, Strength, Stamina, Genjutsu...I could go on, but you get the point. My total is 32, yours is 38. Think of it, if we had a fist fight, you'd win."

"Come on, you're not THAT bad. You could do fine in a Taijutsu fight against me. Hey wait... Did you just call me dude?" Casana giggled.

"Tch, and if I did?"

"You're starting to sound a little bit like a certain someone. Come to think of it, you two have a lot in common. Are you sure she's not your long lost sister?"

"Very funny." Deidara rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep a smile from tugging at his lips. "Fine, I'll concede. I like her. She's got pretty good ferocity and passion, and she's pretty smart for a kid her age. Yeah, she's not so bad."

"I figured you would. I like her too. I don't know, she's like the little sister I never had, you know?"

"You're a real sap, you know that?"

"Shut up." Casana just smiled.

"No thanks." Deidara poked her on the nose.

"Real mature." She looked at his finger cross-eyed.

"I'll do you one better. That kid Arnold reminds me of you, having that tendency to be a real peacemaker and not liking to fight unless it's in defence. Yeah, you two aren't that different."

"No, I guess not. I like him though, he's such a sweetheart. And so cute! I want to hug him!"

"Women and cute things..." Deidara shook his head in amusement. "Go ahead, don't think ol' Helga will like that."

"Come on, I'm old enough to be his mother."

"If you were pregnant at ten."

"Oh. You got me there." Casana giggled. She let out a contended sigh and leaned back against the pillow. "You know... As crazy as this all is, I'm pretty glad it all happened. It's a whole new adventure, you know?"

"Whatever you say." Deidara glanced down at her at the corner of his eye. "It's okay, I guess."

"Come on, I think you're enjoying this."

"You're full of yourself."

"I think you are."

"Not like you."

She stuck her tongue out playfully. "I know you too well, you're pretty curious about what's happening and what could come next."

"Screw you."

"Really? When?" Casana gave a smirk of her own.

"If you don't watch what you say, I might just have to." His eyes met hers, and though it was a quip, there was a thin layer of truth behind it.

"Are you trying to get me into bed with you?"

"Last I checked, we tend to sleep in the same bed."

Casana chuckled and stood, her hands on her hips. "You make a good point. You didn't say no, either."

In a swift move, Deidara was standing up before her, looking down at her intently. A year ago, they'd been the same height. Now that he had grown considerably over the past few months, he now towered over her.

"Careful. I'm not above testing my seductive skills."

Casana's eyes widened, losing her teasing streak then.

A devious smirk crossed the blonde's face then. "Oh...I understand. You're turned on right now, aren't you?"

"N-No, no. I-I was just...."

"Admit it, you're definitely aroused." His smirk widened, moving closer to her and bringing an arm around her waist.

She gasped, her eyes widening more.

"Just as I thought." He chuckled and released her. "I figured you would be. You're definitely turned on."

Her control was slowly slipping more and more, and she didn't know what to do anymore. Still, Casana knew it was wrong, what she wanted to do then. She couldn't hold back any longer, if even just for a moment, she needed to do this, no matter how much her mind and logic objected. She reached up, gently yet forcefully brought his face down to her level and kissed him on the lips. She could feel the blonde stiffen in surprise, and could imagine that his eyes were probably as wide as saucers. Oh no, what had she done?! Going and kissing her best friend like that!

_I'm turning into Helga..._ She thought, ashamed of herself.

Just as she was moments from pulling away, his arms came around her and he kissed her back with equal force, now causing her to stiffen with surprise. It lasted for a moment before she melted and brought her arms around his neck, fisting her fingers into his hair with need.

This was certainly new.

Not quite sure what to make of it, figuring it was probably just, ironically, the "heat of the moment", Deidara inwardly shrugged and decided to make the best of kissing the girl he loved. It was different than when he'd kissed her all those years ago, which had been intended for a last-minute attempt in stifling themselves, and yet it still held the same power. Her lips were warm and moist, tasting slightly of rice and marshmallows. Weird combo, but it wasn't bad.

Maybe it was time to turn things up a notch. Just to see her reaction.

Her mouth had opened then, tracing his lips with her tongue, pleading for entrance. He chuckled inwardly and opened his mouth, wrestling with her tongue for a moment before he took control, holding her flush against him as his tongue darted in and out of her mouth. She writhed against him, her hands in his hair tightening in response. If he'd been right, she was enjoying this. A lot. She moaned between their mouths, angling her head to get a better position.

Smirking to himself inwardly, Deidara let one hand travel along her curves, and ground his hips into hers. She moaned again, seeming to spasm in pleasure. Either way, she wasn't pushing him away or pulling away. She had all the power in the world to stop this, but she wasn't.

All of a sudden, a cloud of smoke exploded into the room, causing the two to break apart as if they'd been struck by lightning. They looked to see Kuraitoru there, his entire form filling most of the doorway.

"Master Casana, I have some-...oh dear me. Have I interrupted something?"

"No!" They both said in unison.

"What is it, Kuraitoru?" Casana finally said. "Oh, and how are the eggs?"

"Oh, they're quite all right. Though that is not why I'm here." The crocodile replied, sounding a bit tense. "Master Casana, it seems that you are being hunted by Team Hawk. ...Sasuke Uchiha and his team."

Casana's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

"That _Uchiha_ brat?!" Deidara nearly exploded, an angered scowl crossing his features, speaking the Uchiha name with pure hatred. "What the hell could he possibly want from her?!"

"That I don't know." Kuraitoru said. "My brethren are looking further into it as we speak. They are on your trail, though they know not of your exact location. He is after you, most likely in high hopes of harnessing your abilities."

"He's not getting anywhere near her. He's going to have to through me first."

"Damn... Where is he currently located?"

"I believe they are around 75 kilometres east of here. Probably headed to the village, according to the scouts."

"I'll be damned." Deidara groaned, palming his face. "Well what do we do then?"

"That is entirely up to you. I felt I should warn you, so as to take whatever action you deem as necessary. Though, I would worry more about the children above all else. You certainly don't want them involved, do you?" Kuraitoru lowered his voice a bit.

"No." Casana immediately said. "They are our first priority, definitely."

"We should get them out of here and get somewhere safe and knock the brat off our trail." Deidara put in. "I'll bet he wouldn't hesitate to kill them if it means he can get what he wants."

"...." Thinking of that, Casana clenched a fist and turned back to her summoning crocodile. "Kuraitoru, keep tabs on Sasuke and his team and report back to me for any updates. See if you can find out what he's after."

Kuraitoru nodded. "Understood, Master Casana. I will report if anything is to come up. You are safe now, so I would not fear for the time being."

"We'll handle our own end of things then."

"Very well, take care." With a poof of smoke, he was soon gone.

Deidara let out a heavy sigh. "Well this is fantastic, isn't it?"

"You're telling me." Casana sighed as well. "Let's go to bed, maybe we can figure things out in the morning."

"Fine, let's go."

The two retreated to the main bedroom, not quite noticing the smaller figure peeking out from one of the other rooms.

_What's up with them? And who's Sasuke...? Is he related to that Princess, or the other guy? _

-~-~-~-

**Oh my GOD! D: It's Sasuke! Watch out! AAAAHH!!!**

**XD That's about all I gots to say here for now. See you next chapter! :D**


	23. Just The Beginning

**Hello everyone, and welcome back. :D ...Again. XD**

**I just want to quickly say that the super special awesome Eri does not belong to me, she belongs to my good friend Akatoki of deviantART. And yes, I know, she has the same name as Casana's late brother. Rest assured, it was entirely coincidental. XD I met Toki-tokes long after I created my prides and joy.**

**Also, to quickly point out, all the Akatsuki as well as other awesome characters all live!**

**Chapter 362 especially NEVER happened!**

**DAMN YOU, KISHIMOTO! WHY DOES EVERYONE AWESOME DIE?! NO WONDER I WENT BACK TO KID'S CARTOONS! AT LEAST NO ONE DIES IN THOSE SHOWS! ...No one important, anyway.**

**Okay, enough of that. Let's move on!**

This didn't sound good at all. Helga could feel the tension in the air from having overheard their conversation. Not that she meant to, of course. She had been intending to go to Arnold's room, when she heard them talking after Kuraitoru had appeared when there was a thick silence in the air, and then heard something about this guy Sasuke, probably related to the other Uchihas they knew or mentioned, being after them for some reason.

What was going on here? Did this guy Sasuke have it in for them or something? Was he some kind of power-hungry villain bent on vengeance? Was he their sworn enemy? She was just as confused as they were.

Once they were in the main bedroom, Helga released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Getting caught having eavesdropped, though completely by accident, didn't sound too appealing. What if they went killer ninja on her for it?

She shook her head furiously at the thought of that and went across the hallway to Arnold's room, opening the door quietly and going into the bedroom, then shutting it behind her. She turned and looked at him laying there on the double bed, with the reflective light of the windowpane over the bed, the rain falling ceaselessly against the glass, the droplets reflecting in the light as well. Arnold lay there, asleep, looking soft and peaceful. She smiled warmly, holding a hand to her heart before she approached his bed.

Before she could open her mouth to wake him up, he suddenly stirred and opened his eyes, blinking as he saw her there.

"Helga...?" He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

"I...um...." Helga uttered, unsure of what to say. "I uh...I had a bad dream. ...Can I sleep with you tonight?"

That was a lie, of course. She actually couldn't sleep, and really just wanted to be close to him. Even if it meant they would end up cuddling. But that didn't matter. She wanted him right now. She decided against talking about what she had just heard, figuring to maybe wait around and see what happened first.

"Oh...of course, Helga." Arnold nodded. He scooted down further on the bed to give her some room.

She got into bed with him, blushing a little at how close they would be, but frankly, now was not the time for that. Helga sighed and snuggled under the covers, looking at him as he lay back down beside her, rolling onto his side to look at her too.

"Helga...do you miss being back home?" He whispered.

"Mm..." She sighed again, giving a light nod. "Yeah, I guess I do. It's been nearly seven days since we've been here."

"Oh...has it been that long?" Arnold looked a little puzzled. "Wow...it feels like it was so much longer."

"That's the theory of relativity for you, football head." Helga said matter-of-factly. "A day like we had could feel like an entire week. Then again, time sure does fly."

He nodded, sighing softly. "I just hope we'll get home somehow. That's what worries me the most about all this."

_Oh Arnold, my dear, poor worried little Angel... How I wish I could stroke your luscious hair and make all of your worries go away._

"In your language, there MUST be a way out. But if we fail, then we'll just have to accept life in a ninja world." She sighed.

"...I hope it won't come to that." Arnold looked worried then. "But I guess...if we had to..." His voice trailed off, not wanting to think about it. "We'll think about it later."

"Well hey, come on, I know it'll be harder for you to leave ol' Hillwood behind, trust me, even I don't know if I'm having an easy time. Still, think about it Arnold, if we DID have to end up staying here...we could make the best of it. Start over, have a clean slate, I guess. It's not like I'll abandon you, anyway. No reason we can't stick together."

"...Really?" His eyes widened. "You mean it?"

"Please, if I try to deny it, you'll just come at me with the truth." Helga muttered. "The cat's out of the bag, football head. I can't very well tell you all those hateful things."

Arnold gave sympathetic look and reached over to touch her cheek. "I'm sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to make it hard for you."

"Tch, please, it was my own fault I admitted it. Yeesh." She blushed a bit under his touch. "Look, just, never mind it, okay? We both know it, no need to go on about it. End of story."

"Helga, I..." Arnold sat up then, looking down at the covers. "To be honest... I'm not sure about how I feel."

Her eyes widened. Had she been right all along? Did he really feel unsure?

"I-I mean, I know that I like you...a lot." Arnold admitted, and looked outside at the rain. "I really do. The thing is, I've thought a lot about it all, the fact you love me and all...and well, I know I was a little shocked and freaked out at first, I'm sorry if I-"

"Relax, football head, I don't blame you for reacting the way you did."

"It was still unfair to you. Especially how we handled it."

"Nah, it was for the best at the time. And yet here we are, talking about it on a dark and stormy night in the middle of nowhere, and in some other world."

"Maybe...but I don't want to run away from it anymore." Arnold shook his head. "I don't know how I feel. I can't say for sure that I love you, but I also can't say for sure that I don't love you. But I accept the fact you love me. I have to admit, it's kind of flattering, considering no girl has ever felt that strongly about me before. I never understood why you put me on such a pedestal, but...well, it's how you feel, I guess."

Helga blushed and looked away. "Come on Arnold, how could I not?"

"What do you mean?" He looked down at her curiously.

"Oh come on, are you that blind?" Helga snorted, and sat up in bed too. "When we first met, you were the only one who noticed me, and was actually nice to me. And even since then, you've done nothing but offer kindness and help to everyone around you! Heck, you even treat ME with kindness even after all I've done to you! I don't deserve it, but you do it anyway. How could I NOT hold you in such high regard? Come on Arnold, wake up and smell the coffee! You're everything good about what a person should be. You're sweet, romantic, generous, patient, tactful, a good listener, you give good advice, you help others, you're always putting everyone's needs above your own and you never turn your back on people. Come ON, the girls are all idiots if they don't see you as the boy you are."

A blush settled on the boy's cheeks. "Well, I never thought of it that way before. Wait, you fell in love with me because I was nice to you?"

"Doi, that's pretty much what I said."

"Oh." He fell back on the bed then.

"Whatever though." Helga lay back too. "We can talk about it later....I guess."

Arnold nodded. "You're right. Goodnight, Helga."

"Night, football head."

Within some minutes, with only the sounds of the rain pattering on the window, the two fell asleep.

The next morning, the unease and uncertainty in the air hadn't dissipated at all. Everything about the entire situation was one big confusion fest of what was to come. In fact, it was more than just the wonders of how the heck the two kids were going to get out of here and get home, but also, if they were going to be invaded by some kind of enemy ninja of some sort. Either way, things just got a whole lot more complicated, just as they had been over the past six days since they had been missing. Progress? What progress? Solution? What solution?

Nothing seemed to be moving forward. They were stuck. They didn't know where they could or had to go in order to get to the next step in getting closer to their goal, they didn't know who to talk to about it, they didn't know where anything could lay hidden that would help. Nothing.

So course, they were left with the same question: What now?

That was the biggest question looming in their heads as they came downstairs. Only to find that the house was deserted.

"...Okay, this is weird. They're not in bed, where'd they go?" Helga wondered out loud. "Hey! Did they ditch us?!"

"I'm sure they're around somewhere, Helga." Arnold said, going toward the kitchen. "Maybe they left us a note or something."

"Then let's hope there's some food left in this place." Helga muttered, following after him.

Arnold paused then, looking toward the window above the sink. He thought he heard something from outside. Going over to the sink, standing on tiptoe to see out the window, he peered outside, hearing their voices off to the side of the house, a little far off but still legible.

"Something could happen to them! What if Sasuke finds us, and uses them as pawns?!"

"It's hard to say what he'll do. But we're strong, we could easily save them."

"But Sasuke, he... I don't know, I'm so worried! If anything happens to them, I'll never forgive myself."

"Wow, barely a few days and you're already attached to them?"

"I know, I know, but that's not the point! We have to do something or their lives could be in serious danger! They're just kids! I heard they did have skills in martial arts, so at least they can defend themselves up to a degree, but it's just not enough against one at Sasuke's level! We...we have to do something."

"Okay, just calm down and quit freaking out. What do you suggest we do?"

"We'll have to find out where they live, and see if we can get them home."

"Oh, that might be harder than you think."

"...What do you mean?"

"I heard from Arnold there that they come from another world."

"_What_?! You mean...they could come from another _dimension_?!"

"That's what he told me. He said they found this strange amulet, and when it opened up, there was a bright light and the next thing they knew, they were int he training grounds in the village of Konoha, no explanation at all as to how they got there."

"That's...we'll have to find a way to figure out about that amulet. Oh! Konan. She'll definitely know. She was in close contact with the leader, so he must have known something about something like that."

A pause.

Helga had come up to where he was eavesdropping near the window above the kitchen sink, trying to listen also. They both exchanged glances, and continued to listen to the older ninjas talking.

"Guess we'll have to go see her then. Just so as long as that damned Uchiha brat doesn't catch on to our plan."

"If we move quickly, at least within the next day or so, and maybe try to throw them off our trail by taking another route to the Rain Village, I think we could make it."

"About time your optimism kicked in! Come on, I think they're up by now."

"Would you mind feeding them? I just want to quickly try to master this technique here. It won't take long."

"Yeesh, now I'm their babysitter? You're better with kids."

"I won't be long. And would you quit giving me too much credit and yourself too little? Come on, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything! So come on, please? I won't be too long."

"...Damn it, you know I can't say no to that face! Fine, fine. But you owe me."

"Sure thing! Do you want me to garner your works with high praise for about six hours?"

"Very funny."

Pulling away from the window, Helga snickered and went to pour herself a glass of water. "What nutballs. A borderline insane terrorist bomber and a good-natured ninja. What a mismatch."

"I guess they come off that way." Arnold let go of the sink and turned around.

"Nice to know you two squirts think so highly of our partnership." Came a voice from behind them.

"WHOA! Criminy, don't sneak up on us like that! You almost gave me a heart attack you freak of nature!"

"Freak of nature? Oh yeah, haven't heard that before." The taller blonde's eye twitched, looking fairly amused at the same time.

"With those mouths on your hands, I'm not surprised." Helga smirked, drinking her water. "By the way, we weren't quite formally introduced, were we? Whatever though, the name's Helga. Helga G. Pataki, that's my name, don't forget it, bucko."

"Don't have to. I know who you are, you're the Hell Girl." Deidara smirked, hands on his hips.

Helga scowled and stuck out her tongue petulantly. Arnold watched the exchange between them, unsure whether or not to laugh at how different yet similar they were.

...................

Later on that morning, Arnold was curious to see what Casana was up to while he was wandering around the outside of the house, exploring a little. She was now strangely creating wind turbulence with her hands, probably having to do with the "chakra" they'd explained about the night before. Every now and then she'd create a set of Chinese sign language symbols with her hands, known as hand seals, wind would release from her, and then would stop, causing her to mutter obscenities and try it again.

His curiosity got the better of him, not to mention seeing someone in some kind of distress. He walked over to her, cautiously approaching, in case she wasn't in the best mood. It seemed unlikely, since she was so friendly and sweet, but even the nicest people could have their bad moments.

"Um, hi..." He said a bit shyly.

"Mm?" Casana stood straight and smiled at him. "Well hey Arnold. What are you doing?"

"Nothing really. I was walking around and exploring a bit, and I saw you here, trying to blow wind or something, and you looked a little distressed." Arnold admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was wondering if something was wrong."

"Oh." She giggled. "Well no, nothing's really wrong. I'm just trying to create a tornado."

"A tornado?"

"Yeah. Not in the strictest definition, mind you, but still a tornado. I'm trying to combine these two wind jutsu; Falling Petal Dance, and the Divine Wind jutsu, and to make it one big tornado. The Falling Petal Dance creates a cyclone of petals to attack your opponents, and you can guide it right from where you stand, pretty good against long-range specialists. The Divine Wind jutsu creates some small tornadoes. Sometimes it's hard to combine jutsu, so that's why it's even giving me a hard time. I can perform both techniques alone, but not combined. Want to see them?"

"Yeah, sure." He nodded and stood back a few feet to avoid being hit.

"All right, here we go. I'll show you the Divine Wind jutsu first."

She created a hand seal, and moments later, a few small tornadoes whirled down from the sky, creating gusts of strong wind despite their small size. After a few moments, she dissipated them.

"Now I'll show you the Falling Petal Dance. Be careful, this is pretty strong. Don't worry, I won't aim it toward you, but just be careful."

A few more handseals later, a huge cyclone of flower petals appeared, whirling around the area near the trees. She guided it around, and then it dissipated as well, the flow of wind slowing.

"So, what do you think?" She asked.

"That's amazing. Really, it is." Arnold stood back up, the force of the wind had knocked him off his feet. "Do you use a lot of wind techniques?"

"I use some here and there, but I'll use pretty much any kind of effective nature jutsu. My clan, the Kusbana, are close to nature and it's in our blood to be able to master nature element jutsu more fast and effectively than an average ninja. Yes, we do still have to work for it and have to put effort and chakra control into it, which can be tricky work in itself, but it just comes a little bit easier to us. On the side though, I'm fairly skilled with Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and got a little bit of helpful training in developing my physical strength."

"Really? Wow, how strong are you?"

"On my human strength alone, I'm fairly strong. But enhanced with chakra, I can punch through stone walls, boulders and the ground. Just not quite through thick steal just yet." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "But anyway, I can demonstrate later if we have the time. I was just about to go into the nearby village and stock up on some things before we head to the Rain Village. Want to come with me?"

"Yeah, sure!"

Just as they were about to leave, an explosion erupted from behind the house, making the ground quake and nearly knocking them off their feet.

"Whoa! What happened!?" Arnold cried, grabbing her arm in surprise.

Casana laughed. "Don't worry about it. It's just Deidara...probably showing off his artwork techniques. He's such a crazy nutball, but man I love him."

.............

"So what's your plan for getting her then, if you're so bent on it?" Suigetsu questioned, leaning against the guillotine sword he had taken from Zabuza's grave.

"I don't even understand. Why do you need her?" Karin muttered, crossing her arms. "You already have an incredibly skilled female! I can sense chakra like no one else is able to, I possess great healing abilities...we don't need her."

"And what happened to the girl who said 'Oooohh, don't question Sasukeeeee's motives!'?" Suigetsu wanted to know, laughing hysterically.

"Shut up!" Karin shouted, punching his head off, which then reformed from the water.

Sasuke glared toward them as he stood up from the rock he'd been sitting on. "Regardless of how you both feel, as I did say before, her skills will be of great use. Her Kekki Genkai is impressive, as well. Now, I'll go over the plan, and listen closely because I'll only say this once. Juugo, I'll need you for this task."

"Yes?" Juugo looked toward him, looking up from the little bird that was perched on his finger.

"You are to keep a close eye on those two children who are with them. They don't pose as much of a threat, however, but I want you to restrain them if they even try to step in my way."

"Like I said, just kill them, it'll be easier!" Suigetsu insisted.

Sasuke glared at him, and then turned back to Juugo. "Do you understand? And do not harm them unless necessary."

"I understand." Juugo said with a nod.

"Karin, Suigetsu, I want you two to keep an eye on that former Akatsuki member, Deidara. He's a long-range specialist, and he will no doubt interfere if he catches on to what we are doing."

"That's it? Aw come on! Why can't we just-"

"Shut up, you idiot!"

"Enough of this. Do you understand?"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"You bet!" Karin smiled.

Looking satisfied, Sasuke looked up at the cloudy sky with a blank, listless look as he contemplated the plan he had formed. It would work, if done right. He hoped he could count on them for this.

...............

"Well here we are. It's a quaint, service village." Casana explained as they entered the village gate. "It's not much, but it's pretty nice. Do you two have enough clothes? We can buy some. And they have an excellent weaponry shop, so you two can carry a few things. Yes, weapons are dangerous for children, but if you're going to be stuck here with us for a while, it'll be good to have a method of defence. You never know what could be out there."

"That's true." Arnold agreed, knowing that all too well now. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I just hope it'll be enough."

She gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry, you two can stick with us until we find a way to get you home. We'll protect you with our lives."

"It's so nice of you, you really don't have to..." The younger boy looked away and blushed.

"I know, but I want to help you."

He smiled up at her gratefully. "Thanks a lot, it...well, I can't say thank you enough."

Casana giggled. "I understand." She paused then. "Oh, wait a second."

"What? What is it?"

"Just wait a moment."

As if on cue, someone came up behind Casana, and a pair of light light blue fabric armbands with thin black vertical lines came around her in an attack hug, pretty much known as a glomp.

"Casana!!!" The girl squealed happily, hugging her tightly from behind. "I can't believe it's you! I missed you so much!"

"Awww, Eri...I missed you too!"

The girl, Eri, smiled and let her go. Casana turned around the girls embraced tightly. Eri looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, was an average height girl, just slightly shorter than Casana, and looked to be of Japanese descent. She had medium length dark brown hair, soft brown eyes, and wore a light blue sleeveless shirt with a darker blue trimp, a white sash around her waist, gray-blue pants, sandals, and had a katana inserted around her waist.

"It's so good to see you!" Eri exclaimed as they parted. "You're looking sexy as ever!" Both girls laughed at this. "Well, how are you?"

"I'm all right, thanks." Casana smiled big. "I'm glad to see you too! Oh, and Eri, this is Arnold. Arnold, this is my best friend Eri. She was in the Akatsuki also."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Arnold smiled up at her, extending his hand.

Eri looked down at him in pure shock, raising her hand to her mouth and her eyes going wide. "Oh my God....!"

"Eri? What's wrong?" Casana asked, confused at her sudden change of mood.

"O-Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!" Eri waved it off and smiled, shaking his hand. "It's great to meet you, Arnold. What are you...I mean, what's going on?"

"Long story." Casana said, shaking her head.

"Really? Well this I have to hear." She grinned and started to walk along with them.

...........

**You're all probably wondering why Eri was so shocked at seeing Arnold. X3 And no, it's not because of his head.**

**Eri is actually from our world. XD She came into the Naruto universe...how she did, we will never know, and for the heck of it I incorporated this little factor in there. :D Akatoki knows Hey Arnold and likes it too, so hey, why not? So yeah, she knows who he is! XD **


	24. Approaching

**Okay y'all, part of the plot is going to move along now! :D Little by little.**

**And you know, I originally was not going to bring Sasuke into the picture. I did entertain the notion of it from time to time, but eh, it never stuck. I just couldn't think of a good idea. But then recently, I got some ideas and figured out what could be done. It IS more of a sub-plot, but it does get things going and causes some obstacles and tension!**

**Besides, he seriously needs his ass handed to him! Evil selfish ass...**

**I also want to give a quick shout out to my awesome buddy and collaboration partner SuprSingr! :D Who has been immensely supportive through all of this. Yay! Love you, Snuggle Bunny!**

**All right, let's move along!**

...

"Soooo then, did you do it?" Eri said as she took one of the bags from Casana to carry.

"Do what?" The taller brunette asked, confused.

"You know...that thing." Eri winked and jerked her thumb toward the direction they came in. "C'mon, you know what I mean." She nudged her lightly.

"Oh!" A sheepish, toothy grin crossed her face and she rubbed the back of her head. "No...not yet."

"Still?" Eri's face fell and she shook her head. "Oh come on! At this rate you'll be over forty when you finally admit it."

"I know, but it's hard, you know? I don't know if I can handle the rejection. If it were some other guy I had just a mere puppy crush on, the rejection would be a bummer but at least it wouldn't crush me as much. I know that's not so easy to understand, but that's just how it feels. When you just like someone and they tell you they don't feel the same way, that's not so bad. But when you really love someone and they reject you...it hurts."

Eri gave her best friend a sympathetic gaze and patted her on the shoulder. "No, I know what you mean."

"Me too." Arnold admitted. "And you know, you shouldn't have to feel that you need to rush it. You can admit it when you're ready."

"Oh you guys, come on, let's not turn this into a pity party!" Casana laughed. "Come on, change the subject."

"So Arnold, you said earlier that you and Hel-...your friend came here thanks to some amulet?"

"That's pretty much it, and the only explanation we could think of." Arnold said.

"Ohhhh." Eri nodded in understanding. "Do you think you'll find a way to get back home?"

"I hope so."

"We might know a way, we'll just have to see Konan about it in the Rain Village. She might know, considering she and the Leader know a lot about...things like the amulet." Casana explained.

"Ohhh." Eri nodded again. "I see what you're saying. If nothing else, they may even have books on the subject that could help."

"You might be right, I wouldn't be surprised if they did."

...

BOOM!

"That was bigger than the last one! How do you do that, controlling their level of explosion?"

"It's pretty simple. I label them by the level of chakra I put into them. C-1, C-2, C-3, and C-4, one being the lowest, four is the highest. For my ultimate technique, that's C-0."

"What's that?"

Deidara pointed to his chest. "It's more of a last resort, in which I create the ultimate explosion. It _does_ come with a price. To make the ultimate work of art, I have to use my life. Like I said, last resort."

Helga's eyes widened. "You mean...like those suicide bomber terrorists?"

"Not exactly, but you have the right idea." He said, and made another clay butterfly.

"Crazy...but whatever. That's pretty boss, being able to create explosions out of clay models on command like that! You know, I meant to ask, what do you mean by saying that true art is an explosion? That...doesn't make sense."

The taller blonde chuckled. "Didn't think you'd understand, but since you're curious, I'll explain it. I don't exactly mean it literally, although that's how I like to see it. Let me put it this way. You know how you can never truly appreciate something unless it's eventually going to be gone?"

"Oh...like Summer vacation, or Christmas." Helga said thoughtfully.

"Well, that's my Philosophy. You can't appreciate something for its true value and potential unless one day it's gone. Art is my one passion in my life, it's the most important thing to me. True, fleeting beauty. You take an amazing piece of work, and then destroy it. There, it's gone. I also love a good explosion, so combine the two and you get probably the most beautiful image in the entire world. An exploding piece of art. An explosion, after all, is something beautiful and expressive, artistic in a sense. It's the perfect method to show art's true beauty."

That made sense. Sure, destroying a piece of art wasn't exactly a first choice in showing its value, but it did make sense. She had to admit, this guy was definitely very interesting, now that she had a chance to interact with him. Sure, a bit on the crazy side, sadistic, tended to overreact to things, temperamental, vengeful, and yet deep down hiding some kind of softer side that came out when it counted, though subtly...

Wait.

She snickered and realized just how alike they really were.

"I gotta say, I definitely was wrong about you. You're pretty smart, for a guy like you." Helga stood from the rock she was sitting on and smirked a little. "You're not half bad. I like the way you think."

A strange look came to his eyes then, but it was gone as quick as it came and he smirked lightly. "Not that I need your approval, but whatever. Nice to meet someone who doesn't think of my art as something ridiculous. That's annoying."

"It's _different_, but it's cool, doi." The younger blonde shrugged. "Anyone who thinks otherwise obviously doesn't know what their missing."

"Mmm-hmm...you're not bad either, _Helga_." He picked up a rock off the ground and tossed into the nearby pond. "Your little boyfriend's pretty interesting for a kid, too."

"Quit calling him my boyfriend! He's NOT!"

"But you want him to be."

"Shut up."

"You didn't say no." He said, smirking as he tossed a ball of clay from one hand to the other.

Helga huffed and crossed her arms. "And so what? You got a problem with that?"

"Tch, it's your life."

"Darn right! And don't you forget it, bucko!" Helga paused, and an idea came over her, and she smirked up at the taller blonde. "And what about you, eh? Don't you have a special someone in mind?"

"Tch, please. I have no clue what you're talking about."

"The cat's out of the bag, girly man, I know you've got a thing for a certain brunette who hangs around you all the time." Her smirk widened as she saw his single visible eye widen. "Heck, I'm going to take it up a step further. You're definitely in love with her. I've seen the way you look at her, and the way you flirt with her on a constant basis." _Lucky girl, having her guy in love with her..._

"You've got an interesting viewpoint." Deidara said nonchalantly. "Please, even if I did, which I definitely don't, come on, her and I? Could we be any more of a mismatch?"

"And why, are you two a mismatch?" Oh, she was loving every minute of this.

"It doesn't matter, we just are. I don't need to discuss my lack a thereof lovelife with a kid."

"Hey, it's your life."

The two of them stared at each other intently, blue-gray eyes met blue, intense.

"So," Helga broke the silence and gave a grin. "Let's say, hypothetically, you do have the hots for her, but...you think you're a mismatch? Come on, I may be a kid but even I know there has to be a valid reason why! Okay, maybe I'm digging too much into it. Let's say, and this is strictly hypothetical, she came and said she loved you. Well, wouldn't you want to take that chance? At least you'd know where you'd stand. And last I checked my good man, just because you two aren't COMPLETELY alike doesn't make you a mismatch. If anything, you guys really balance each other out with the way your minds work. She's Yin and you're Yang. Or the other way around, who knows."

"I won't lie, I guess I'd take it. Heh, you've got an interesting insight and perspective there, girl."

"Well doi, I'm smart as can be, trust me, I know these things. So really, you're a freaking ninja, what are you so afraid of? Oh wait, don't tell me, you feel emasculated because she could beat you in a fight."

"Won't lie about that." Deidara tossed a clay ball a few feet into the air, and then caught it before inserting it into one of his handmouths. "Casana could beat me if we ever fought, she's stronger than I am. But I won't deny that I wouldn't mind a good fight with her. It'd definitely be...artistic, if you will. But she always refuses."

"Why?" Helga wanted to know.

"Wimps out." He said, waving his hand in a dismissive manner to emphasize. "She says because she doesn't want to end up severely injuring me. Baby. But it's true, she could snap my neck in half a second if she wanted to."

"Wouldn't mind having THAT power." A gleam came to her eyes. "But hey, what do you expect? She's that type of girl who doesn't fight unless necessary, but she has the power to do it. Arnold for example has incredible karate skills, he could take down an elephant! But he doesn't dare use it unless it's in self-defence. I saw his power at one point, wow! He could give ME a run for my money! Wouldn't mind having a martial arts match with him! But I know he won't do it because he doesn't hit girls."

"Who does?" Deidara said, shaking his head. "I sure don't."

"You don't? Well, not saying you're an abuser or anything..."

"Not unless I'm fighting, duh." He knocked on her head lightly with his fist, to which she scowled at, making him smirk. "But nah, I don't hit girls for no reason. I'm crazy and insanely artistic, but I'm not a sadist."

"Could've fooled me. But I guess that's a point for you. So come on, admit, you love her. I know you do! And hey, you're just down about it because you feel you can't have her, you don't deserve her. Trust me, I know."

"Okay kid, what do you want me to say? 'Oh yes, she's the love of my life, I could swear she was carved by Angels, how her blue eyes penetrate my soul' and blah blah blah. Forget it, I'm not some romantic poetic charmer. So I love her, there you go, happy now?"

Helga laughed. "Your attempts at poetry were funny. Well like they say, have faith in dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing..." She did a dramatic dance twirl to add to the effect. "The dreams that you wish will come true."

"I'll remember that the next time I'm moping around like a lovesick sap and whining my ass off about the utmost suffering consequences of unrequited love." Came his sarcastic reply.

"You never know, my good man. You never know. But look, what I'm really saying is, until you know for sure, don't give up yet. ...Wow, I can't believe I just gave advice on not giving up. Wow, I really am a basket case." Palming her face, Helga sat back on a rock, shaking her head.

"Nah, you've just got your boy's mannerisms rubbing off on you." Chuckled Deidara, sitting on rock next to her, as it was a big rock. "Trust me, I've known Casana since I was a kid, and even then her tendencies rubbed off on me. You can't go one minute without these kinds of people and not feel as if you're picking up on what they tend to do."

"Makes two of us." Helga agreed. "So...how do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"I'm surprised your supposed unrequited love hasn't driven you mad. It can take a toll on you, you know."

"Please, I don't even know _how_ she feels, so I can't exactly go insane from unrequited love if I don't know how she really feels. Even so, it doesn't matter because I focus on something else, more important." A sigh escaped him then. "Even though it doesn't help that she can be pretty inspiring to my art."

"So...she inspires you to make clay models that explode?"

"Not that, she helps in driving me to do it. I love art, and that alone drives and inspires me, but, you know, she helps along in her own way. You write poetry, so you'd obviously know all about it."

"Guess I can't lie. Fine, Arnold inspires me to write poetry. Frankly, all of my poems are love poems about him."

"How many have you written?"

"Thirty-volumes... I guess that somehow includes the ones Miriam burnt and the ones I had managed to salvage, and the poems I've made since then. No wait, thirty-five by now, I guess. I fill 'em in notebooks."

"Shit, you have it bad for him."

"I can't help it, okay?"

"Neither can I."

The two exchanged glances and snickered, shaking their heads.

"This could be the start of an interesting...partnership." Helga remarked.

"Call it what you want." Deidara shrugged, and looked off in another direction, frowning lightly in thought.

...

Looking in the same direction, unbeknownst to her, Casana frowned, feeling a sense of unease wash over her. She could sense it, feel it. _Him_. Quickly, she turned to Eri.

"Take him to the safe house, right now." She told her.

"Why? What's wrong?" Eri wanted to know.

"Just do as I say. Go back to the safe house and all of you stay there and be safe. He's out there."

"Who?"

"...Sasuke Uchiha."

Before Eri could question further, Casana was already gone.

"What's going on?" Arnold wanted to know, getting a little worried.

"I don't know. But I think now Sasuke has something to do with it." Eri frowned and took hold of his hand. "I'll explain it on the way, but we have to get out of here now."

"Will she be all right by herself?"

"...I don't know, Arnold. I hope so."

...

**So this chapter IS shorter...and kind of dumb. XD But trust me, I wanted to get it done, and have it lead up to...part of the plot. Plus, it was also to create a bit of a strange bond between our two fiery blondes. :D**


	25. Uchiha vs Kusabana

_**Fighting evil by moonlight...**_

_**Winning love by daylight...**_

**Sorry, wrong series. XD**

**So here we go guys, the first parts of the conflicting obstacles plot begins. Lead on by SASUKE...the one character in the series that needs to have his ass handed to him, seriously.**

**I mean, uh, his BUTT handed to him! Sorry to the kids present in this story. XD**

**Moooooooovvviiiinnngggg along...**

**And now our brave heroes...or two heroes and two ambiguous villains venture into the mysterious, Hellbent, creepy, chilling, skin-crawling, horrifying, and above all horrible place...that is Silent Hill.**

**XD Just kidding. Although I'd love to get my hands on the Silent Hill games. They sound awesome. I'm especially curious about **_**Silent Hill 4: The Room**_**. What could possibly be creepier than being locked in your own apartment, with no ways of communication? That, is just epic creepy awesome right there.**

**And now I'm completely deterring from the story! Helga, slap me.**

**Helga: With pleasure! *Slaps me***

**Ow! Thanks.**

**XD**

**One last thing...please forgive me for the horrible action fight scene. I will tell you right now, I am the Queen of Fluff...and I suck with fighting scenes. So please forgive me for the suckage.**

...

It was in the outskirts of the village, far off from the main areas, and out into a grassy field surrounded by the dense forests, leading to who-knows-where.

"I can sense her approach." Karin said, turning to Sasuke from their hiding location about three hundred yards off. "That's her all right, with that chakra. Of course it's incomparable to yours, but she's something."

"Please, this is gonna be easy." Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "He's gonna take her down in half a second flat!"

Sasuke stepped forward, his back to his team. "You're both forgetting...though she could never surpass that of an Uchiha, she is indeed a formidable opponent. I won't underestimate her, I will give her credit, but either way, I will not lose to her."

"You still going through with this? Come on Sasuke, we can clearly get along just fine without that environmentalist."

Sasuke didn't answer him, but instead motioned for them to stay put, and then exited the forest and went for the clearing as the approach of questionable chakra approached. He knew she was coming. It surprised him, and yet, it didn't. Some targets would run away at the first sign of danger, being him in this case, or the specified target would face the perpetrator first hand. At least it saved him the trouble of tracking her down further than he already had.

_I feel it...she's close. I have a feeling she'll resist..._

Dropping down to the ground from atop a tree he had leaped onto, he stepped out of the trees, and within moments, came to see a splash of dark pink up ahead. He stepped a few yards closer, and sure enough, she stood there a few yards away, and despite the distance, could feel the penetrating stare of her azure eyes.

His own ebony orbs observed her as she stood, facing him with a cold, venomous glare, like that of a jungle predator stalking its prey. Sasuke regarded her coolly, with the breeze fluttering their hair and clothes.

Not a word was spoken between them, until she broke the silence.

"Sasuke Uchiha...after all this time, I never would have imagined that I'd run into you. I'm not going to beat around the bush, because I want to know here and now, just what is it that you want with me?"

An amused gleam came to his eyes as he pondered his answer for a moment. "Then I guess I should come out with it. Your power is admittedly very useful, and I see that the Akatsuki has indeed faced a few casualties. I want you to join me, to put your power to its proper use. You're indeed an undeniably talented kunoichi, and I can always use a new recruit."

A stricken look came to her eyes for a fleeting moment, before she narrowed them a bit. "And just what makes you think that I'm going to acquiesce? You're failing to remember that I nor a lot of people outside of your world back in the Village of Sound trust you. While I don't know all of your motives, aside from the death of your older brother, how do I know you're not trying to create some kind of a clever ruse to rat me out, or hell, even to kill me? You ought to know there is quite a bounty on my head, don't you? So really, what makes you think I would even consider joining you, _Sasuke_?" She spoke his name as if he were a vile parasite. "When I don't even come close to knowing you, your motives, or trusting you?"

Sasuke didn't even flinch, seemingly unaffected by her refusal. "A smart ninja does indeed question these things. Even I would do the same. You and I, more than you might think, are quite alike... You of all people would understand, the loss of your entire clan... the need to grow stronger."

"Don't speak to me as if you know me." Casana spat. "You may be right, I did lose my clan to a bloody massacre I don't wish to think about, but don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare. You don't understand what it was like to be like me."

His eyes narrowed at her accusation.

But she went on, and her eyes then shifted to bright pink with the Nentougan, as his mind was then open book to her.

_Now she's using her own bloodline limit to see into my mind...she feels that I don't understand her. How pathetic._ He was thinking. _No one could ever understand me, and if she thinks she could possibly have a less than understanding life, she is sadly mistaken._

"That's what you think, isn't it? You think that only you can understand how it feels to live a life yours. Go ahead and try to deny it, your mind is an open book to me now. Maybe I don't understand the feeling of a loved one killing my own family, but I can tell you this. You don't understand what it means to be _hated_. I grew up back in my village hated. No family, no one to look my way, no one to care. But you Sasuke...don't even get me started. You were admired, loved, pitied even. But you just pushed it all away, completely unaffected by it. You didn't see how well you had it, despite the loss of your family. You didn't have the villagers hating you for reasons that weren't your fault. You didn't have the children laugh and make fun of you. No. All you seemed to care about was getting power to kill your brother. Yes...how does it feel, Sasuke? Hearing this kind of talk when you're on the receiving end? I see you once berated the Nine-Tails...Naruto Uzumaki, of the same thing, didn't you? Well Sasuke, let me ask you something. Did you even consider that maybe _you_ are the one who doesn't understand him? He also...faced the hatred of the villagers, being shunned in his own homeland. You seem to put everyone below you for every reason, don't you? Well...know this. Aside from what you have done in leaving the village, _you don't understand what it means to be HATED._"

In an instant, though she saw it coming, Sasuke was now in front of her, his sword drawn and held to her throat.

"Don't talk as if you think you knew what I went through, because even if my mind, my past, everything within my thoughts is an open book to you now, you will _never_ understand."

A smirk crossed her features. "Act high and mighty all you want, there is _no _escaping reading your mind. I know exactly what you'll do, what you'll say, before you can even do it. I understand more than you can imagine, and you don't like that, do you? You don't like it when someone else is right and you're wrong, and you know very well that you're wrong."

Nothing was was said as her throat was then severely slit by his sword.

...XXXX...XXXX...XXX...

"Eri? When did you get here, and-wait, where's Casana?"

"She went after him." Eri stated. "I don't know how or why, but apparently Sasuke is in the area, and she went after him, and told us to come back here. I wasn't sure what else to do, but I know that the kids' safety is important. We have to-"

"Okay, okay, just stop it right there." Helga suddenly interrupted. "Who the heck is this Sasuke person and why did she go after him?" She wasn't quite ready to admit that she'd overheard the conversation from the night before.

"Sasuke Uchiha is a missing nin from Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Eri explained. "He had left the village to follow the Sannin Orochimaru in order to get power from him to kill his older brother, Itachi, who had killed the Uchiha clan. Now he's traveling around to try to find Itachi. He travels with a Team of people who were also recruited by Orochimaru. They're known as either Team Hebi, or Snake of you will, or Team Hawk. Not that it makes any relevance. Why Casana's going after him, I have no idea."

(**Take note: Remember, Eri is from our world. She's read the Naruto Manga and knows all about it, at least, up to the point she goes into the world. And now she's pretty sure that the series either doesn't exist in the Hey Arnold universe, considering it DID come out in the late nineties, long before Naruto's release, let alone its release in America. That, or it didn't come out yet.**)

"I know why." Said Deidara, now clenching a fist at his side. "He's after her. Why he is, it's anyone's guess, I'll bet he wants to try to harness her power. That or he has some kind of grudge against her for a reason even I wouldn't know. So wait, you just let her go?"

"She was gone before I could even think about it." Eri said apologetically. "She told me to bring Arnold back here, to keep the kids safe. I don't disagree with that, I don't know what Sasuke would do if he found us but-"

"Never mind. I'm going after her. You stay here and keep an eye on these two, Casana's gonna throw a fit if anything happens to them. That Uchiha brat, he can mess with me all he wants, maybe not my artwork, but mess with Casana and he _gets it._" Deidara said, and then was gone once more before anyone could say or do anything.

For what seemed like hours, no one spoke a word. All that was heard was the wind flowing through the trees, and the sounds of their own breathing. Even Helga wasn't sure what to think about all of this, it was all so very new to her. Then again, everything was new to her. In fact, a look of fear was coming over her then as reality was slowly setting in. They could really die out here. This was nothing like dealing with problems at home, like schoolyard bullies (real ones), or losing a quarter...this was huge.

What had happened yesterday, nearly getting killed by that crocodile, with a cut leg to remember it, likely to scar her leg and her mind, was a sure reminder that this was a big, dangerous, scary world. When Arnold had been kidnapped, aside from trying to calm herself by talking of better days, she was scared to death. She was afraid he wouldn't survive. And now this, having nearly been eaten alive, and then now, a dangerous ninja possibly out to kill them all.

Helga was scared. Very scared.

Sensing her discomfort and fright, Arnold reached over and held her hand in comfort. She relaxed a bit and squeezed his hand back, having no strength to refuse him right now.

"What do we do?" Arnold finally questioned.

"...I'm not sure, Arnold." Eri replied, biting her lip. "I don't know if there's even anything we _can _do."

XXXXXXX

Bits of logs and leaves fell to the ground, Sasuke cursing lightly to himself for having not seen how easy that had been to slit her throat. Now the question of where she was and what her sneak attack would be remained.

_Left? Right? Behind? Above? Below?_ He thought.

Sensing something from behind, he whirled around and slashed his sword through a horde of vines coming his way. The blade sliced through them, faltering their movement for a moment, but then to his surprise, the vines reformed, and then retracted from him and then rose upward from the ground, when they suddenly materialized into a human form.

Smirking lightly, his eyes reverted to the Sharingan. "Not bad. You had managed to escape me without much to my knowledge. Don't think you will be able to trick me twice."

"You know, I don't appreciate arrogant pricks out for power." Casana spat, one hand behind her back, slowly drawing her machete. "People like you make me sick."

"I _will_ get what I'm after." He told her. "Don't think that I won't."

"Overconfidence is your greatest enemy."

Sasuke didn't say anything to that, only thought to himself just how _annoying_ she was with her silly accusations toward him. He would have preferred to do away with her at this point, but that wouldn't solve anything. No. He knew what he wanted, and what he had to do to get it. She would bend to his will, and he would be damned if she didn't.

Kicking in speed, he hurried toward her, deciding to have to give it his all. Gaining the upper hand would be easy, he knew, but she was stronger than he was in some aspects, that much he hated to admit, so it would prove to be a challenge.

But that was fine. He did like a challenge from time to time. Maybe today was just one of those days. She wanted to play? Fine by him. They could play all day.

Before he could strike her with his sword, she had swiftly drew a machete and blocked the blow of his blade, horizontally. For a few moments their blades clashed, his scarlet Sharingan eyes met with her pink Nentougan eyes, neither of them making a move, it was as if time itself was frozen.

Uchiha versus Kusabana. Sharingan versus Nentougan.

"You can't win Sasuke, I won't let you!" Casana ground out, inching her machete closer against his blade, pushing them toward him.

"Will alone won't get you anywhere." Sasuke applied strength and pushed their clashed blades toward her. "True power brings strength, the strength to bring down all that stands in the way of your goal."

"That's ridiculous!" She jumped backward, now standing a few feet away. "Enhanced jutsu and chakra strengthening your body and ninjutsu don't make for a strong shinobi! True strength comes from your heart! The power to do your best and work hard no matter what happens, all from the power of your heart, is what true strength and power is. But you alleged power-hungry bigots are too blind to see it!"

"Don't be an idiot. A strong shinobi of a prestigious clan such as your own should know of the true meaning of having power." The ebony-haired former Konoha ninja said condescendingly. "A survivor like you should be an avenger, one who seeks the power to achieve revenge."

"It's not just about what you're fighting for." She stepped closer, vines rising up from the ground behind her. "It's _who_ you're fighting for. I fight for others...to help them...and most of all, _love_." Placing her free hand on her heart, she looked at him, her eyes returning to their normal blue. "I fight for love."

"Love... What a weakness, I never thought someone like you could stoop to such a idiocy."

"If being an avenger like you makes me stronger, hell, if it makes me _smarter_, then I would rather be an idiot."

He'd heard enough. Once more he ran for her, creating hand seals in a swift motion, and blowing fire from his mouth. In retaliation, she did the same, blowing fire from her mouth, both sets of flames clashing together. At the same moment, her vines lunged toward him, as did an army of snakes he shot out from what looked as if they were coming from his sleeves.

Extinguishing her blow, she immediately leaped out of range of his flames and landed back on the branch of a tree. Sasuke looked to see where she'd gone, and paused a moment, wondering what she was about to do.

She leaped off the branch and landed back in front of him, she made a few hand seals, to which Sasuke caught on to in thanks to the Sharingan, and imitated her.

"Wind Release: Petal Dust Dance!"

They each released the jutsu, two cyclones of petals appeared, sending the entire area into a windblown state, and just as the two shinobi were, the flower petal cyclones battled it out against each other.

Sasuke braced himself against the winds, and took the opportunity to leap out of sight of her, as did she, each landing on the branches of opposite trees on either side of the clearing. He controlled his own cyclone toward her, as did she with her own, going toward him.

_I'll have to add to the technique, this won't... Wait, unless maybe... _Casana thought, tense. _I haven't tried it like this before! Should I do it?_

Sheathing her machete for the moment, she made the ram hand seal, and exhaled as she prepared herself for her next tactic.

"Wind Release: Great Task of the Dragon!"

From where he was at, Sasuke watched in utter awe as storm clouds loomed in the sky overhead, and almost immediately a tornado unleashed, seeming to then collide and reform along with her own cyclone of petals combine.

_I see her game, she's using the power of both wind jutsus combined, to be able to add more power with a tornado, and yet control it along with her petal cyclone. Impressive...but that's just kids stuff._ Sasuke thought.

He smirked, knowing then just how to bring her down.

XXXXxxxxXXXX

_Damn, the wind is getting stronger, and then...wait, did it just dissipate?_

Deidara came to a stop on a rooftop of a hut, and paused, looking out to the horizon, to where he was following the trail of chakra. Something didn't feel right, and it wasn't just the sudden dissipation of the strong winds he'd felt. He just couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"Unless she found him...or _he_ found _her_."

Biting his lip, he immediately kept going, determined to get to the bottom of all of this, and stop it. If Sasuke did indeed find her, or if she found him...

Though he had confidence in her strength and power, he knew full well that Sasuke was tricky, and could just as easily turn things around.

_If I find her dead, HEADS will explode..._


	26. Training and Uneasy Confrontation

**Once more, excuse my lame lame LAME ninja action stuff. I freaking suck.**

**Anyway, on with the story then. Let's gooooo.**

**Once more, both sets of characters and series belong to Kishimoto Mashashi and Craig Bartlett. I OWN NOTHING! ...Except a couple of things.**

**And for some of you who may have caught it...yes. The "dream world" is based on the Twilight Realm from the game **_**The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess**_**. I really wanted to pay homage to it because I freaking LOVE the Twilight Realm! Hell, the Twilight itself, even when covering Hyrule, is awesome in itself! But yeah, the Twilight Realm. I just love it. And the music for it is just BRILLIANT. It's BEAUTIFUL. It's beautiful, haunting, and dark all at once, and yet kind of sad too. That's why it's so awesome. Whoever composed it is brilliant. And the other music that played when the Twilight was blanketing Hyrule was great too. :D**

**And that's what I love about music from the Zelda games. If you hear the music without any visuals from the game, you can SEE just what place you're in, what the setting is. When I listen to the music of the Twilight Realm for example, I can see a dark, haunting, beautiful, dimly lit place. Same for music such as... let's see, Snowpeak! Also from Twilight Princess. I feel it's a big, snowy environment when I listen to that musical score.**

**Okay, enough of my rambling. XD**

**Some credit goes to my friend ~Ayano-Nara of deviantART who helped me out a bit when I was in a pinch. Thanks again, buddy! :D**

XXXXX

A loud, hard slap was heard, followed by a groan of pain.

"You will NOT talk back to Sasuke! Speak only when spoken to!"

"That's enough Karin. Getting her to submit won't work in such a manner." Sasuke stepped forward, approaching Juugo who was holding their hostage. "Now, I will ask you again." His eyes flashed with the Sharingan, staring right into her own blue orbs. "_Where _is Itachi?"

"I told you, I don't know!" Casana shouted, struggling against Juugo's strong grip again.

"She's lying. Let's just kill her and get it over with." Suigetsu reached for the hilt of Zabuza's guillotine sword strapped to his back. "There's a pretty good bounty on her head anyway, could make some good money."

Sasuke ignored Suigetsu and looked hard into her eyes, searching for any signs of deceit. Anytime he asked where Itachi was, she denied that she knew. It was a question of whether she actually didn't know, or was actually lying. Her own eyes stared back into his, full of indignation, anger, hatred, and annoyance. And then there was...worry. She was obviously worried about something, most likely her allies.

"I don't know where Itachi is." She said in a low, venomous voice. "Even if I did, what makes you think I would tell you? What is going on between the two of you is none of my concern. While I do indeed spout my own set of hatred toward him for reasons that are none of your concern...it's not right for me to rat out a former member. If there's one thing we as the Akatsuki once were, is that we were loyal amongst one another. Whatever someone wanted with either of us, we dealt with it on our own, without involving the others."

"Yeah but you forget the Akatsuki's down the toilet now, so those rules don't apply." Suigetsu sneered. "So ya mind holding still so we can just get rid of you? Seriously Sasuke, she's annoying. And then we can kill off those dumb whelps. Especially the one with pigtails."

A panicked look came to Casana then and she glared hard at them. "You lay so much as a _finger_ on them, you will _**REGRET**_it."

Sasuke raised his hand and slapped her across the face just as Karin did. "Bitch."

"Nice one, Sasuke!" Karin gushed.

"Shut up, you whore." Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"What did you say?"

Sasuke shot them a warning glare, and then grabbed the brown-haired young woman by her throat, but not enough to choke her. "You leave me no choice, because now, I will have to use _force_."

And then for her, everything seemed to go black.

XXXXXX

"Criminy, what is taking them so long?"

"Maybe they-"

Eri cut them both off, and faced the distance ahead, frowning slightly. "I think something is wrong. _Really_ wrong."

"What tipped you off? How long they've been gone, or the fact they're going after some dangerous ninja?" Helga muttered sarcastically.

"I think she's right, something must be wrong."

"I do want to go after them, but I can't leave you two behind and I definitely don't want to put you two in danger." Eri bit her lip, and turned to them. "Like I said, I think all we can do is wait. So we-"

"Wait? Hello? You're a freaking ninja!" Helga cut her off abruptly. "Put your skills to use! Kick some butt! Heck, train us so that we can help out and not have to back down anytime there's a fight going on! From what I understand, there's a lot of battles going on in this world between ninjas, so I don't want to sit back and be the helpless damsel in distress! I want to be in there in the middle of the action! I've got an iron fist of my own, and football head here has got some sweet karate skills. I stopped a freaking bank robber with my Jiu-Jutsu!"

_She did..._ Eri recalled. She gave a sigh. "Well okay, I guess maybe you're right. It's better to be on guard and ready to fight in this world, especially out in the open on the road, since you never know what could be hiding out there. I could probably teach you a few things, but I'm admittedly not very qualified. You'd need an experienced ninja to help you. But I guess I can give you two basic lessons on chakra control and putting it to use. Everyone has chakra within them, but ninjas mold and use it to its full extent. You guys probably know that there's ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. Taijutsu, however, relies purely on stamina and strength alone, so you two have that down pretty much. But what you two need to learn is chakra control, and that is essential."

"All right! I've always wanted to be able to jump that high and blow fire from my mouth! NO ONE at school will mess with me now! No sir! When do we start?"

Eri giggled. "Well, right now is as good a time as any, I guess. But I should warn you, using them back where you come from...might not be considered normal. Got it? Okay. I'll teach you some basics, and later on if they EVER come back, we'll get them to help you guys out too. So, shall we begin?"

...

_It was like a dream. But was it? She couldn't tell. Where was this place? What was going on?_

_One question ran through her mind at the moment._

"_Am...Am I dead?"_

_Was this how it felt when you were dead? Were you somehow conscious in an afterlife? Wondering what happened to you, and even so, not even knowing what had happened on top of that. How did she die? Was she even dead?_

_But something else was going on. She could feel it, sense it, and wondered...was it bad? It felt unnerving. Very unnerving. That was the only way to describe it._

_Was it unnerving because it was bad? Or was it unnerving because it was too good?_

_She didn't know. Nothing was clear. Whatever was going on seemed as if it were happening behind a curtain. Unclear and unseen._

_The darkness was fading, she couldn't feel anything, it was as if she were floating. Floating on what? Air? Nothing was registering to her at all._

_As her vision seemed to clear, she could see very dark purple clouds up above, with the sky a strange dark yellow hue, it was...beautiful, in a dark and haunting way. Twilight. What was this place, of seemingly perpetual twilight? _

_This place..._

_Was it a dream?_

_She stood in awe, drinking it all in, wondering just what was happening._

...

Increasing speed, uncertainty coursed through him once more, and while he had no doubt she was a strong fighter and could take care of herself, he felt a stab of worry in his mind, which also seemed to indicate that _something_ was wrong. Not sure what, or how bad, he bit his lip and wondered just how worrisome the situation was.

This was Sasuke they were dealing with. He was aware of his strength, especially in that of his own right, being an Uchiha and all, not to mention under Orochimaru's guidance, considering he WAS the one who killed him.

A frown marred his features as he thought of that, but decided not to get into that right now. He had more important matters to attend to.

Deidara paused, and then lowered down to the ground to keep running from there, he now sensed the strong chakra that he knew was Casana's...but for some reason, she was alone. Wherever Sasuke was, he was either gone, dead, or disguising it. What happened now?

As he went further along, approaching the clearing, he became aware of a presence now sneaking up on him.

Vines struck up from the ground, which he quickly dodged, but as he escaped the deadly grips, he couldn't help but wonder why her vines were attacking him. What was going on? Not much time was given to think of this when he was suddenly grabbed and wrapped around by vines having snuck up from behind, restraining him in place.

_Major deja-vu..._ He thought.

When Deidara turned his head, the culprit leaped down onto the ground before him, revealing to be Casana, holding a long bamboo zanbatou with a long, curved metal blade at one end of it. She approached him, and to both his surprise and horror, her eyes were void of pupils, and staring at him blankly.

"Casana? What happened to you? Why are you attacking me?"

In response, she tilted her head, and then instantly thrust the blade of her weapon toward his throat, glaring menacingly.

"Any last words, you pathetic worm?" She spoke out in a dull, blank, venomous voice that didn't sound like her own.

"Casana, snap out of it!" He yelled, struggling against his bindings, but to no avail. The vines clung tightly to his frame, holding him in place. "What is wrong with you? It's me! Deidara!"

"Nothing personal...you're just in the way. Pity, I was sure you'd be a challenge." She simply said, scraping the skin of his throat ever so slightly, drawing a small thread of blood. "But you're as weak as he said."

"As weak as who said?" He grimaced when she scraped his throat with her blade and drew blood. "Come on, you've got to snap out of it!"

"You're beginning to try my patience..." Casana pulled her weapon back, and the vines released him. "But I want a fair fight from you, worm. Maybe you'll pose to be a challenge after all."

"I don't want to fight you..." Deidara stepped back as soon as the vines released him, grabbing his throat where she'd drawn blood. "But I can see that you're leaving me without a choice. So I guess I'll have to fight you, and defeat you."

She smirked. "A long-range fighter against one like myself. And I know your weaknesses...Do you think you stand a chance?"

He returned her smirk with an angry glare. "We won't know until we fight, now will we?"

In response, she sidestepped a few steps, and then in one swift move, drew two kunai and shuriken in her hand, tossing them toward him.

He swiftly dodged the weapons by jumping into the tree behind him, and then delved his hand into his sack of clay. His handmouth ravenously devoured a generous amount and he began molding his chakra into the soft substance, preparing to make bombs.

"Wind Realase: Great Breakthrough!" She sent the wind jutsu toward him, applying enough power to knock down a tree.

As the jutsu slammed into the tree, he quickly jumped out of it and into the next one, now making bombs with both hands. When one hand finished chewing the clay, he molded it into a clay bird, which he then brought to life by forming a hand seal. It flew rapidly towards Casana, and once it was close enough, he set off the explosion. "Hah!"

The bomb exploded, creating smoke, and when it cleared, she was no longer there.

"What the-! Where'd she go?"

A projectile launch of fireballs suddenly came at him from behind, concealing the shuriken within them, and from his peripheral vision, came bright red flower petals shooting toward him also.

"Shit!" Eyes wide, he jumped down from the tree, just narrowly missing both attacks. However, when he jumped, he was unable to move. "What-?"

Then from behind, Casana lunged in, the blade of her zanbatou piercing through his body from the back and coming out through the front. "The fires of Hell will welcome you now, worm!"

Deidara stood in shock for several moments after the blade pierced him from behind.

Then, suddenly, he changed into a clay clone!

"I don't think so, Casana-_chan_!" He exclaimed, as his hand burst out of the ground and grabbed hold of her ankle.

"Ah?" Casana looked down in surprise, and then at the clay clone before her. "A clone?"

"Nice try!" Deidara yanked her down into the ground until only her head was stuck out, as he burst out of the ground, fully unharmed except for the scratch on his neck left by her blade. "But I know all of YOUR weaknesses, too!"

"Now, tell me." He picked up her blade from the ground and pointed it at her threateningly. "Who the hell are you, and what have you done to the REAL Casana?"

Unfazed, she just stared up at him. "I don't know what you're talking about, you oblivious fool. I am Casana, just not of whom you remember." Her body dematerialized into vines and they crawled out of the hole like snakes before reforming into her human form. "Regardless, you're in the way, and I will do away with you no problem."

"No! You're NOT Casana! You're someone else!" He exclaimed, backing away once she escaped from her earthen prison. "You've GOT to snap out of it! It's that bastard Uchiha brat, isn't it? He's got you under some kind of mind control Genjutsu!"

"Huh, you're smarter than I may have credited you for." She laughed in a mocking, cruel manner. She drew her machete then, her eyes narrowing into a cruel smirk. "Tell me then, *Deidara*... Is damaging someone close to you worth it all, even though knowing you'll never save her, and you'll perish?"

"Damaging...? Casana, what are you talking about?" He continued to back away from her, now that she'd drawn her machete, until he was backed against a tree.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of me?" She approached him as he backed away. "Too scared to fight back? You now back away like a cowardly dog with your tail between your legs?"

"Casana, listen to me! Snap out of it!" He exclaimed, back pressing against the trunk of the tree. "I don't want to fight you like this! You're under that bastard's mind control Genjutsu! You've got to try and break free!"

"My patience is wearing thin, and now I think I'll just do away with you and get it over with." The tip of her machete touched his shirt where his heart was. "Maybe I'll spare those two brats you two were with... If they stay out of my way. Now I'll ask you once more. Have you any last words?"

"Casana, don't do this! You don't want to kill me!" He tried one last time to break her of the mind control she'd had placed upon her. "Think about what you're doing! I've been your best friend for thirteen years! Do you really want to throw all of that away by killing me?"

For a fleeting moment, she seemed to fear what he said, and trembled lightly, pulling her arm back slightly, and then went in to kill him... When she dropped her weapon and grabbed her head, groaning in agony. "Aaggh! No...!"

"Casana?" He stared at her in confusion, but with determination in his eyes. "Come on Casana, try and break free!"

"Aggghh!" Casana yelled out in pain, and then doubled over, letting go of her head. She looked up then, her eyes were normal, and she stared at him in shock.

Before he could move, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, trembling. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

"It's okay...you're okay now..." He said soothingly, though he was taken aback when she threw her arms around him. He carefully put his arms around her, returning the embrace.

"I was put under his control... I was stuck in a strange dream world of perpetual twilight... I couldn't do anything, I didn't know what was going on..." She uttered, and looked up at him then. "But then all of a sudden I just snapped. I can't explain it...I..."

"It's okay." Deidara said softly, stroking her hair. "I knew it wasn't actually you, and I knew that you'd manage to break free before you could really hurt me...or..."

A shudder of pleasure coursed through her at his touch, trying hard not let it show but failed to do so. "I guess I should've known that... I..." Her eyes fell to his lips, and she felt an irresistible urge as she leaned up toward him.

"You...?" He too began to lean in towards her, his eyes half lidded, and his lips parting just slightly.

Just before their lips could meet, a snake came flying in toward them, reverting their attention as they faced the culprit who interrupted them.

...

Up the tree, further and further, through a very challenging and interesting training exercise of running UP the tree, something she'd never would've imagined anyone could do without proper equipment. Oh, how fun this would be to show off to everyone at school!

Reaching a certain point up in the tree, Helga took a quick breath and scratched a line across the bark with her kunai to mark the spot and then jumped back down to the ground.

"Hey, you're getting better!" Said Eri, nodding in approval. "How high would you say that was? About ten, eleven feet?"

Helga glanced up at the few marks she'd made on the tree, and gave a shrug. "I suppose. Took me a while to get any higher." She then looked up at the adjacent tree, seeing Arnold sitting on a high branch, waving at her. A strike of envy went through her, considering he'd made it very high up his tree in a matter of a few runs. As Eri put it, he had pretty good chakra control as they were getting used to using it in a different way, the way ninjas did.

"Well Helga, it's all about having good chakra control." Eri told her. "You need to focus hard on your chakra, to focus on what you're doing and try not to let your mind go all over the place. But most of all, you have to relax and be comfortable with it. I know it's easier said than done, but that's just how it works. It's okay though, a lot of beginners have a hard time, especially when they might have a lot on their mind."

A blush settled on Helga's cheeks, and then Arnold jumped down from the tree with relative ease, kunai in hand.

"Hey Helga, I have an idea. Want to race up the trees?"

Helga raised one side of her eyebrow. "Race? Are you for real?"

"Well, yeah. It'd be pretty helpful to your training, and who says we can't make a game out of it? For each race, if you make it higher than me, you can get a little reward for it."

"Like what?"

"Um...well, I'm not sure about that yet, but I guess we can figure it out. So, what do you say?"

Considering his suggestion, Helga thought about it and gave a shrug. What did she have to lose?

"All right football head, I'll see to your game plan." She said coolly.

Arnold gave a grin. "Well, great! Let's get started."

"All right you two, get into position!" Eri said as they both stood in front of their respective trees. "On your mark, get set...GO!"

Both kids ran up their respective trees, side-by-side for a moment before Arnold pulled ahead, making Helga utter childish obscenities before she marked the spot and jumped down to the ground, Arnold following soon after.

"That was a good start Helga, don't worry about it!" Eri said to her.

The blonde girl sighed, shaking her head. This wasn't going well at all.

"Don't feel bad Helga, it's not over yet." Arnold assured her sweetly. "Want to try again? Maybe this time you'll beat me."

Not the kind to give up, Helga nodded. "Let's do this, football head."


	27. Sparing a Life

**Welcome back again! :D And yes, we have our two heroes now training to be ninjas! Or, well, as strong as ninjas, I guess. **

**I thank SuprSingr and acosta perez jose ramiro for being my two main supporters of this story. :D So thanks, guys!**

**Oh and yes, Arnold IS using Helga's competitive streak to help her! I didn't think of wording it that way, but yes! That's pretty much it. It was merely that he was turning their training into a game so that it'd be more like achieving a game goal, you know?**

**This will be the end of the annoying-I mean Sasuke intervention arc. XD Now starts...what's next! :D This chapter IS short, but it's to get things going and end THAT part of the arc.**

XXXX

"You can do it! Keep at it you two!" Eri called out in encouragement.

Having by now lost count how many "races" they'd done in their training of running up their respective trees and marking each spot they'd make it to upon surpassing the previous one, Helga felt herself gradually getting better and better along the way, and even managed to get higher than Arnold a few times. Her current record right now was about 22 feet up her tree, and Arnold's was 25.

Chakra control sure was hard.

Helga tried to follow the instruction of keeping her mind focused and relaxed, which was easier said than done. But she had _so much_ on her mind, specifically a certain _someone_ on her mind. It was hard not to think about them, and given her low level of self-confidence and nervousness in front of others when she wasn't using her bullying persona to protect herself.

Still, at least they were getting in to work with the big dogs!

_Maybe later I'll try to learn how to make explosives out of clay...how cool would that be to set off Rhonda's next party with a big bang. Just give her a figurine, tell her it's a fun little decorative piece...and then at the right moment, BOOM! Explodes with confetti! Or maybe something sticky? Or maybe like an explosive pinata? Oooh, it'd be an AWESOME prank._ Helga mused, a twisted smile coming to her face before she registered Arnold calling her name.

"What, hair boy?"

"I was thinking maybe we could try one more round, winner take all?" Arnold twirled his kunai with his finger. "You know, if you want, we can even make a bet."

"A bet?" The blonde girl raised one side of her eyebrow.

"Sure, Helga. What would you want if you won?"

Helga's eyes widened, and she thought long and hard about it. She _had_ to make it count. A kiss? Heck yeah, but that was too much pressure on the poor boy. Something to eat? No, that wasn't enough. Money? Please. She would never do that to him. Besides, in this world, they had to rely on the Ryo they'd been given, and that had been split evenly between them. So what could she possibly want to get in return from him? Something worth fighting for...something to do with him.

Win-win, right?

Then it struck her. She'd seen a poster somewhere in the village beforehand, which advertised a festival happening in some other village, which she assumed had to be not too far off, considering the little advertisement. They could go there together. Although she was pretty sure he'd agree to it even if she didn't win, it was worth a try, right?

"If I win, you take me to the festival going on in that other village. I saw the poster for it before."

"That festival? You mean..." Arnold blushed at this. "Kind of...like a date?"

"Call it what you want, football head. But we're going to go together."

"Helga..." Arnold smiled then. "If you wanted to go with me to that, all you had to do was say so."

"I'm saying so now." Helga smirked, crossing her arms. "So, what do YOU want to wager? Come on now, we don't have all day."

"Well, um..." The young boy paused a moment, unsure. He wasn't exactly the type of person to ask for something, even if it was out of winning. Sometimes he could out of fun, but this?

"_Well, think of it. It's obvious you guys got a thing or two in common."_

"_Yeah, we do. We do make a good team, when we work together on something and put our differences aside. Her competitive nature and determination makes her quite a leader."_

"_Take initiative then. Give her a goal to work for. And hey, in turn, you can even have a goal of your own."_

"_I see what you're saying, but I don't know, it's not that she can't give me something I'd want, but I don't always feel right making bets."_

"_Trust me kid, makes it fun, gives you something to shoot for. And in any case, you don't let your opponent win, and I mean slagging off and letting them take the lead. That just makes it disrespectful to your opponent."_

"_...You know, that makes sense. It's something I remember Coach Wittenburgh was going through with his wife. About playing your best game, whether or not you win."_

"_Looks like you do have a pretty good brain in that weird head of yours."_

"_Are you sure you two aren't related?"_

"_Watch it kid, sarcasm isn't quite your forte. But I give you credit for trying."_

"Well Helga, if I win...I guess..." Arnold paused a moment to think of something. He then had an idea. "If I win, I'll take you to that festival."

"Wait a second! That's exactly what I bet! You can't do that!"

"Sure I can. Think about it, if I bet something else and you lose, well, I'd hate to let you miss out on us...doing something like that together. So, if we bet the same thing, we'll get it either way."

"I don't want you to do this out of pity, Football Head." Helga crossed her arms.

"I'm not." Arnold said sincerely. "I do want to go with you. So, what do you say?"

"...Fine. Let's do this."

Eri giggled from where she stood, having overheard them. It was pretty fun to see them interact in actual person, seeing what they would do in this kind of a moment in their current situation. She watched them get into running stances in front of their respective trees. They looked at each other, nodded, and then kicked off, running up the trunks of their trees.

Deep down, she wondered what would possibly come of it all. Would it bring them closer...maybe to blossoming romance? Or just friends? ...Or be driven further apart?

She shook her head. An experience like this, no matter whom involved, would somehow get closer together, albeit sometimes begrudgingly, depending on the person.

Maybe this would turn out for the better somehow. At least she hoped so.

Her chocolate eyes followed the two young kids as they ran further and further up the trunks, kunais clenched tightly in their hands, both of them likely huffing and puffing as they worked hard to outdo the other. Again Eri giggled lightly upon watching them. It was pretty sweet how Arnold used Helga's competitive streak to help her out like this. Not to mention giving her some motivation, which she knew of too well.

_I guess fate has a lot in store for them..._ Eri thought as she continued to watch them. Her eyes shifted then, her expression worried. _I hope they're all right over there...what's going on?_

XXX

No one hesitated nor spoke a word the moment that Sasuke made his appearance during the tender moment. It all went as if on cue from a director from there. It was hard to tell, whether it was intense or just mediocre. Whether it was scary or fearless. Whether it was difficult or too easy. Nothing seemed to make sense. There was only one thing, and that was dominance. Gaining the upper hand.

She knew this wasn't what she thought. She knew any moment she would lose this. But at the moment, Sasuke was pinned to the ground beneath her, bound by vines, he struggled a little, but remained calm. Her hand tightly grasping the machete in her hand, she raised it slightly, her blue eyes locking with his Sharingan scarlet eyes, her teeth clenched. Her mouth opened, her voice coming out in a snarl.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart."

Sasuke simply stared back at her, seeing that this was indeed not the same girl he had seen just time ago becoming the tender and sweet girl worried about her best friend, or one she loved rather, he knew that too well. This wasn't a girl defending a close friend, or even a family member.

This was a vicious animal defending someone she loved. If not for her human blue eyes, Sauske would have sworn he were looking into the eyes of a man-eating animal.

While he knew deep down, though he would never admit it, that he could not truly understand her, in that moment, he knew. Her mind was truly unstable, stuck, and that sometimes she couldn't control herself when something she cherished was threatened, because she lost so much. Sasuke could relate, he knew that well. It was why his trap worked. He knew she would break out of her hypnotic trance he set on her, he knew that she'd be unable to kill Deidara, even under the trance. Hell, he even knew that Deidara would go after her. Although at first he may not have pegged the explosive artist to actually succumb to...love, but it came through none the less. He used their love for each other as a weapon.

And it worked.

She knew it was a trap. Sasuke could tell, and he was pretty sure Deidara knew it too.

Sasuke wasn't scared, even though he knew that Casana, now having him trapped, could kill him in an instant if she wanted to. Hell, before he even _knew_ it, she could.

Unstable as she was, as much as she tended to fight with her heart instead of her mind, he knew she wasn't impulsive. If she really wanted to kill him, and he knew she did, Sasuke saw it clear in her eyes, she would have done so. But she was a plotter. She thought things through. Dangerous, but analytical. That had to be why she was taking her time.

The only way out, Sasuke knew, was to catch her off guard. And he knew just the way.

Disregarding her previous statement, Sasuke blinked once, his eyes returning to their original ebony colour.

"You love him."

Yes, it was working. He remained cool despite his triumph as the ex-Iwagakure ninja's cobalt eyes widened, having obviously not expected that.

"_What_..." Casana's eyes narrowed once more. She wasn't confirming his statement, but she also wasn't denying it.

"You knew this was a trap. And I know you love him. The way you defend him and fight me off, that is not the fight for a friend or even for a family member. That is a woman defending her lover. It was why you broke through the hypnosis. I knew far well that your love for him was stronger than I imagined."

This took her aback, she seemed less like a vicious tiger by the moment, though she retained her defensive stance, and was ready to attack him.

"You may have figured it out, but don't think it will get you far." Was all Casana said then, and swiftly dug the blade of her machete down into his shoulder, purposely missing his vitals.

Blood poured from the wound, staining his white shirt, making Sasuke groan and hiss in pain, having expected something from her, even if not quite at this moment or like that.

"I've had enough fighting with you." Casana stood then, withdrawing her weapon, and pointing it at him, the lower half of the shiny metal blade dripping with his blood. "I have more important matters to deal with...and I'm just wasting my time dealing with you. I could kill you right now if I wanted to, but frankly, I have no reason to. I've done enough in teaching you to mess with me. Killing you will solve nothing. But cross my path again, and don't think I'll be so nice." She spat. "Your army of ants will see to you when they find you."

Sheathing her weapon, she turned and walked off, leaving him bleeding and bound by her vines. She'd had enough, and had enough to worry about than something like this, and wanted to choose her battles differently. Her body dematerialized into leaves and floated off away in the wind, coming to a stop some ways away into the forest and reforming into her human form.

"Should've known you wouldn't kill him." Deidara remarked, hoping down from a nearby tree. He had wanted to help her out, but she refused, saying it was her fight and that he stay back.

"I had no need to." Casana replied. "I'm not like him, or the rest of the former organization. I only wanted to teach him a lesson in messing with nature that can fight back." That was only half the truth, of course.

A chuckle escaped the blonde, and he shook his head. "Sure thing, _Mother Nature_. Let's get back, I'm sure those two tykes wet their pants worrying about us."

"Don't be silly, they're a lot stronger than that. Let's just go."

Deidara nodded in agreement, tossing his new bird creation to the ground and creating a hand seal to make it grow in size. Hopping onto it, he smirked and held a hand out to her.

"Let's fly."

Casana playfully rolled her eyes and grinned, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her up onto the bird behind him.

XXXXX

"Well, you two did great!" Eri came over to the kids, clapping her hands. "So...who won?"

Both panting, trying to catch their breaths, Arnold looked at Helga, who looked back at him, seemingly pretty unsure. They had both climbed their trees fast and nearly at the same speed, and had reached about the same point, maybe off by a centimetre or two. But given their marks on the tree, it was almost a tie, with Helga being just a hair bit higher than Arnold.

"It's hard to say. We're kinda tied." Helga finally said.

"Yeah...I guess we are." Arnold agreed. "Um...but we can still go through with the uh...agreement, Helga. If you want to."

"Is that you asking me on a date, Football Head?"

Arnold blushed a bit. "...Do you want it to be?"

"Eh, whatever floats your boat." Helga shrugged indifferently, though deep down she was squealing with joy.


	28. Schemes

**Whoo! And here we are, back again. :D **

**This begins the new...arc of the story. We're going to be moving further along with the plot, trying to find answers in getting our two little heroes back home safe and sound, some more training, because they'll need it, doi. Yeah! And a wee bit more romantic build up. Nothing too dramatic (not YET anyway), but enough to get things going in that department too. :D**

**And yes, you'll see I inserted a very typical villain line somewhere in here. X3 I had to, okay? **

**You all know the disclaimer by now.**

XXX

"Let's take a break, this training's pretty hard." Helga announced, sitting on the grass.

"You're right Helga, it's getting late anyway." Arnold looked up at the sky, seeing the clouds rolling in as the hour of twilight was descending. He sat down on the ground next to her, leaning back on his hands for support. Glancing at Helga, he noticed she looked uneasy. "Is something wrong, Helga?"

"Huh?" She looked at him, and shook her head quickly before looking away. "Of course not, Football Head. I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you look uneasy and worried about something."

"That's it, I AM. But I don't _need_ to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Hello? It's been ALL DAY, and I know Casana's been gone who-knows-how-long, and then a heck of a lot of time passes, she's nowhere to be seen and then Androgynous Boy goes after her, and wouldn't you know it, haven't seen either of them! Sure I'm worried, but they're strong ninjas! Why worry?"

"There's nothing wrong with worrying, Helga. Worrying about someone doesn't make you weak, or make it look like they're incapable of taking care of themselves. It just shows you're human and you have feelings, and you want to look out for their wellbeing. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Being worried to the point of unhealthy hysteria, maybe, but not like this. I'm worried about them too, I just want them to get through this crisis and make it back okay."

"Doi, they're our tickets to get home!" Helga stared up at the sky along with him, and a thought occurred to her. "Hey Arnold, I was thinking. We have to get those two together."

"Huh? Together?"

"Doi! That's what I said. News flash, they're in love with each other. But they haven't admitted it. So we're going to get them together, because let's face it, they're meant for each other."

"But Helga, we can't force them together, they may not be ready for it."

"That's not what I meant, Arnoldo. What I meant is that we give them a nudge in the right direction. You know, a push. Love does take time, but thirteen years is WAY too long, they need a push."

Arnold thought about that for a moment.

"And it won't be huge or drastic, either, so relax." She tapped her chin in thought. "In fact, you know that festival thing? We'll get them to go to that thing together! You and I are going, so it'd be like a double date."

"Won't they get suspicious?"

"Heck no. We'll just explain we're going and want to take a break from all this hectic worrying of being in a whole new world and since they're kinda our caretakers, they'll come along to make sure we don't get into trouble. See? They'll be there together and won't suspect a thing."

Arnold thought of it, and gave a nod. "You know, I think that could work. I see where you're trying to go with this."

"Hope you are. Because what we'll also do is get them to be alone together sometimes, to dance or walk around. I mean hey, I know the festival won't be huge like a street festival in New York City, but it'll be big, and I think we'll be fine. We just set up a meeting point, we go do our thing, they go do our thing, meet back at the designated spot, and they won't be any the wiser."

"That's a great idea, it'll give them a chance to be alone together and have a good time, and be able to have fun and not worry so much about what they usually do." Arnold added.

"Now you're getting it!" Helga nudged him on the arm. "So when they get back, here's hoping they do get back in one piece, we'll drop the bomb on them and get things going. You with me, _partner_?" She held her hand out to him in a business-like manner.

Chuckling, Arnold shook her hand. "I'm with you, _partner._"

"And just what are you two sillies up to?"

Turning around, they came to see Casana now standing behind them, smiling brightly despite her rips in her clothing, wounds and ragged hair. She looked as if she simply just got cut on the finger.

"Well, looks like you made it back in one piece. Huge intense battle to the death?" Helga stood up, studying the brunette carefully.

"It's a long story, actually." Casana admitted. "I'll probably tell you about it later. We just got back now, he's over there talking to Eri. How are you two? You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Oh no, we're fine." Arnold assured. "Are you okay, though?"

"Oh yes, I'll be fine. I've been through this ever since I became a ninja, it's nothing new." Casana waved it off. "So what have you two been up to to pass the time?"

"Actually your friend Eri there's been training us to be ninjas and controlling our chakra and all that cool stuff." Helga said. "You mind showing us some stuff too?"

"Well sure! We'd be happy to. How about we start tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds good to me."

"That's fine by me, too." Arnold stood up then, and studied her worriedly. "...Are you going to be okay?"

Casana nodded, smiling in assurance. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. You two can freshen up, and I'll make you something to eat if you're hungry."

"Hey, you just fought a big battle back there!" Helga protested, standing up too. "You should take it easy."

"Don't worry Helga, I can handle this kind of thing. I'll make you guys some food, it's no trouble at all."

But of course, Helga being stubborn as she was, didn't have it. She turned to Arnold, whispered something into his ear, to which he nodded and gave her a thumbs up, going off after the brunette.

_We'll give these two a break, and I'll get ol' Eri there to help me with getting some food put together._ Thought Helga.

XXX

When Arnold caught up to Casana, who was sitting by the pond, she was holding something in her hand and looking at it. Even though her face was at a profile angle, he could tell she looked a little sad. Why the sudden change in mood, even he didn't know. Slowly he approached her, with his sense of helping overs seeming to come over him then. She must've sensed or heard him coming, because she looked up to see him as he got closer.

"O-Oh, hey Arnold." The brunette said, reverting back to her usual register. But before she could say anything more, the thing in her hand, which Arnold now saw was a photograph, slipped out of her hand and blew away in the wind. She let out a startled cry, now getting up to try to grab it.

Luckily it blew toward Arnold and he grabbed it before it could get away too far. Against his better judgement, since it was facing him, he looked at it. It was indeed a photograph. The photo featured a man standing tall and proud, and immensely happy. He had brown hair, tan skin, bright chocolate brown eyes, and a long scar across his cheek. He was dressed in gray slacks and a long-sleeved green shirt, also adorning the same Village forehead protector that Casana had, tied around his forehead. The woman next to him was a gorgeous red-haired woman with curly fiery red hair, bright stunning blue eyes, and wearing a simple dark blue sundress. She too, was smiling with great joy, with a smile that lit up the entire photo. She too wore a forehead protector of the same village, hers was tied on her head with the plate facing the sky. In front of them, were two young kids, around four and six years old. The little boy looked a lot like his father, with the same brown hair and brown eyes and tan skin. He had a big toothy grin as he clutched his sister's hand. The little girl, he assumed to be Casana, with her shorter brown hair and bright blue eyes and paler skin, smiled happily at the camera, like she couldn't have been happier.

And then he just understood.

_This is her family...she lost her family when she was six..._ Arnold realized. He handed the photo back to her. "Here...sorry for looking at it, I didn't mean to invade your privacy."

"No, no, it's all right." Casana assured him, tucking it away.

"...That was your family?"

"Yes."

"...I'm sorry, I heard about what happened. The um...massacre and all."

She smiled sadly at him and ruffled his hair. "It's all right, Arnold. It's been a long time since it happened. It's not easy to think about, but I've moved on. I... Do still bear the scars of that night, but I know all I can do is live my life as best as I can. Growing up without parents is tough, but there isn't much you can do to change that when it's so _final_."

"I know what you mean. I mean...well, I don't know if my parents are...gone or not, but growing up without them like I have really hurts." Arnold murmured.

"What happened to them?"

"No one knows. They left for San Lorenzo to help a tribe of people, because of a sleeping sickness. I was a baby at the time, they left, and they never returned. Their plane was never found, and no one knows what happened to them. I try not to think about it, but sometimes it comes up and I can't help but feel like I'm missing something in my life. I live with my grandparents in a boarding house, and the boarders are like an extended family. I love my grandparents, and I love the boarders, crazy as they all are. But I guess...well, I just have a void in my heart that only my parents can fill."

"At least you grew up loved and cared for." Casana smiled. "That helps a lot, it really does. It's wonderful that your grandparents took you in like that."

"Yeah, it was." Arnold gave a little smile, and then grew serious once more. "You didn't have any other relatives around?"

"No. My dad's side all lived in Airisu Valley, and they were all... And my mother's family did live in the village, but eventually they moved on and lived too far away. After all I did want to train to become a ninja, and I'm not even sure they wanted me. They never much liked the Kusabana clan. My mom's parents didn't approve of my mom marrying my dad. Her best friend did, that's about it."

"I heard the village feared you and your family, did you ever know why?"

"In the big picture, no. But it's because we were of a clan they didn't understand. Long ago my ancestors were banished since they were considered freaks, and settled in what was once Airisu Valley, it became their own haven, their own home. And since then for the past few generations the family has lived and thrived there." Casana murmured, and looked up at the twilight sky as she sat back down. "But enough about me Arnold, I don't want to bore you with everything about my life."

"It's okay, I like listening to what people have to say. Even about their lives." Arnold sat down on the ground next to her.

She giggled. "You're such an interesting kid. You and Helga both. Very smart and articulate, insightful and you have a social conscience I would never have imagined in a child your age."

"It comes from having to grow up so fast, I guess." Arnold sighed.

"I can relate." Casana agreed. "I've had to do that. ...I guess in a way it's good to be aware of the world and mature at a young age, but even growing up too fast can have its repercussions."

"That's true. It's not easy having to grow up that fast." Arnold followed her gaze to the sky, thinking a moment. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Mm? What's that?"

"Helga and I...we heard of this festival going on in another village not far from that one other there." He pointed ahead of them in the direction of the village. "And we wanted to go to it, to have something fun to do and keep our minds off this whole situation. Just to let loose, as Helga said."

"Really? Well, I don't see why not." Casana shrugged. "It would be nice. I did see flyers advertising it in the village, and it did pique my curiosity. It's been a long time since we've been to a festival. Maybe it'll do all of us some good. Maybe we can even split up, if you two would be okay to be alone, or you two guys could do your thing and us girls could do our thing, and whatnot."

"Yeah, we can do that. Set up meeting points and see what we feel like doing. I guess it won't be huge, so we probably won't get too lost."

"No, I think you two should be fine, and we'll have trained you a lot more by then, so self defence won't be too much of an issue just in case. There'll be dancing too, that should be fun. ...Yeah..." A dreamy look came to her face. _We only did dance that one time years ago... Wasn't even so much of a dance, it was just a party. It's too bad he doesn't dance... But I guess it won't matter..._ The thought of the night before when they'd kissed, no, made out, still succeeded in turning her insides into mush. _All of the sake in the world couldn't even come close to intoxicating me..._

"Are you okay?" The young boy's question interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. My head was in the clouds."

Arnold laughed. "I know what you mean. I daydream a lot, too."

"I'm not surprised." Casana gave a giggle and turned to him then. "I do that all the time when I'm not focused on my duties, or traveling around."

_Although, my daydreams are getting weirder..._ Was all he could think before letting his thoughts just run free, reflecting on the day's events.

XXX

"I believe we used the perfect body..."

Within the depths of a dark, dimly lit room in the Village of Sound, Kabuto stood as he admired and mused his work. His very creation was within the shadows, mostly hidden from view, with the only splashes of light revealing parts of a face, a body, an arm, but most of all, a pair of piercing, green snake-like eyes, pierced through the darkness.

His creation was complete.

"With you, our goal to destroy Konoha once for all..." Kabuto mused. "Will come to be."

"But why stop there?" Came a malicious, slithering, sneaky voice within the darkness. The voice was feminine, likely pertaining to be a woman, and it was coming from the silhoutted, shadowed figure before Kabuto. A hand came out from the darkness, and picked up a small model of the Hokage Tower in Konoha, holding it up. The piercing eyes studied it for a brief moment. "Master Kabuto... Think of it, hmm? First Konoha..." The hand holding the Hokage Towel model immediately crushed it, the broken pieces falling to the floor as the hand unclenched. _"_Then.._.__the world!_"

Behind his round glasses, Kabuto's Orochimaru eyes widened with malicious glee, his mouth spreading into an evil grin.

"Yesssss..." He hissed softly.

An evil, horrific, striking and very much loud villainous laugh rang out from the room, reaching the upper quarters as Kabuto's newest creation laughed maniacally with pure evil.


	29. The Festival Begins

One thing! I made a reference to _Pokemon_, and to _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_ in this. :D See if you can find them. Rest assured, they are NOT reference from THEIR lives, it's from our world.

**Now, there will be no more beating around the bush or filler. I had to scrap a lot of ideas I had, but really that would just be making the story go ALL OVER the place and I don't want to do that. It would just ruin it and make it drag on for who-knows-how-long. So nope! Uh-uh. **

**Today, along with the festival, we are going to move things forward with everything.**

**Because it's meant to be fun. :D**

**Soon comes our evil villain, who is out to, you guessed it, take over the world.**

**...**

***You guys all stare at me***

**...All right. I'll do it.**

**M Bison: Of course!**

**XD Enough of that.**

**Now, I bet SOME of you are wondering how I'm going about with the language thing. That...I think I will leave up to you. X3**

XXX

"Okay, how the hell was I talked into this?"

"Well, Helga _does_ have a way of persuading people."

"I can't even believe we're doing this. It feels so demeaning. Now hold still."

"I guess maybe it's just time to take our minds off things, I guess."

"Seriously, I don't dance."

"You don't know how?"

"I never said that. I can dance. I just don't dance, it's not my thing. Can you dance, kid?"

"My grandmother taught me quite a bit... and there was last April Fool's Day... I danced the tango with Helga...it was kind of intense."

A snicker escaped the taller blonde. "Sure sounds like it."

"I guess so." Arnold murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. He stood back a bit. "So, do I look okay?" He was wearing a three-piece suit, which was of a white shirt, black jacket, black pants, and a dark blue necktie.

"Yeah, you look fine. Guess Helga's going to go all gaga over you. Hell, I bet you could wear a paper bag and she still would. She has it bad for you, kid. I can tell." Deidara teased, and straightened the younger boy's necktie again. He himself wore a dark blue shirt, a black jacket, and a pair of black slacks. "Okay, there. Much better. So how do you feel?"

"Um, nervous I guess." Arnold admitted. "Should we think of this as a double date?"

His question made the bomber's cheeks pinken just slightly. "Guess if you want to call it that, yeah. It can be like a double date. Why, you want to take Helga to this festival as a date?"

"Actually, yeah. I still don't know how I feel, but I definitely want to give her a chance, spend more time with her on a comfortable basis and see how I feel. And well, I want to show her a good time and make her happy, since this whole ordeal has been pretty scary and hectic for both of us." Arnold explained. "I care about her a lot, I really do. Making her happy will really help in all of this."

"Okay, so I get what you're saying. So what'll you do if you _don't_ turn out to love her back?" There was a strange glint in his stormy eyes at his statement, that Arnold couldn't quite pinpoint.

"I don't know. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. But to be honest, I'm starting to think I really do like her like her."

Deidara snickered. "Whatever you say then, kid. The girls should be ready in a minute, we'll go get 'em."

Arnold smiled and nodded. "Okay."

XXX

"Almost done here Helga, trust me, you are going to be the belle of the festival."

"Please, me? The belle? Like that's going to happen."

"Helga, you are a very pretty girl. You just don't exactly bring it out, but if you looked like this all the time, you would be turning heads. Especially when you get older and your features will soften."

"Eh, I guess. But come on, you're older, taller, prettier, and you have the strikingly pale skin with dark hair and the blue eyes. Really, come on. Look at me. Plain light skin, plain eyes, and boring blonde hair. You'd probably get a few looks your way if you showed a bit of your... you know. Womanly bits."

Casana shook her head, standing back a bit as she finished applying Helga's makeup. She was wearing an emerald silk green dress that went a few inches below her knees with a flowing skirt, a pink sash tied around the waist, sleeveless, and with a modest square neckline, along with dark green flats on her feet. Along with that, she wore very light but noticeable makeup.

Helga on the other hand actually opted to wear a kimono. It was positively gorgeous. Mostly pink, with a pattern of trees, birds, water, a bridge and the ground, all in different shades of pink, while a white obi with thin pink curvy lines along it. Her blonde hair was down, her bangs framing her face, and her omnipresent pink bow tied on her head. She too, wore some makeup. Light blue eyeshadow to draw attention to her eyes, as well as bring out the blue in them. A hint of pink blush, and of course, her lips were a lovely shade of a darker pink. Dark enough to pop, but light enough to work well with her skin tone and hair.

Needless to say, she was beautiful.

"Helga sweetie, you take a look in that mirror and you tell me that I'm prettier." Casana told her, gesturing to the mirror.

"Oh, fine." Helga stood up from the chair she'd been sitting on, and went over to the mirror to examine herself. She was shocked at her reflection in the mirror, and did not recognize herself at all. _Who is that girl in there? That's NOT me...But gosh, I look...good. ...Really good._ "Okay, okay, you were right. I _do_ look good. Real good."

"There you go." Casana smiled. "I know it's not what you normally do, and believe me, it's not something I do either. But, sometimes on a special occasion, there's nothing wrong with glaming it up a little."

"...Yeah, I guess." Helga gave a mild shrug. "So, can we go now?"

"All right, we'll go meet them in the hallway and get going. The festival started already anyway, so there should be a good crowd there by now." The brunette nodded, going over to the door and opening it. "After you."

"Har har." The blonde girl rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, Casana following after her and closing the door.

The four of them were staying at an Inn right in town where the festival was taking place, since they figured it would be more convenient that way, and they had been lucky to even get a room, let alone two. The boys in one, the girls in the other. It did dismay Helga just a little, since by now she was used to waking up next to her beloved, most especially in his arms, but she pushed it aside and just dealt with it.

Eri, who was informed by Arnold and Helga of the plan they had, had to take care of another assignment, but said she would meet with them in the Rain Village when they would make their way there, and also, because she didn't want to get in the way of everything.

It was of course, quite comical how they went about their undercover status. It was a typical thing, Deidara and Casana pretended to be married, with their kids. But Arnold was adopted, while Helga was their biological daughter. They all also had false names, not that the kids needed one, of course. Deidara was Rinku, Casana was Midona, Arnold was Kojiro, and Helga was Musashi. They were the "Kishimoto family".

"Real clever, _Dad_." Helga had dryly said. "Hey Football Head, I should've known you were adopted! Oh wait, I mean, _Kojiro_."

"Very funny, _Musashi_." Arnold had rolled his eyes, but hid a smile behind his hand at her antics.

...

The girls waited patiently in the hallway of the Inn, and no more than a few moments later, the boys emerged from their room next door to theirs.

Helga's eyes immediately made a beeline toward her beloved, keenly drinking in his image. Of course, she'd seen him in a suit plenty of times, it was nothing new, but she still couldn't help but find him so adorably handsome. Arnold also, found his eyes immediately drawn to Helga, and he was unable to look away from her. He'd never seen her look so beautiful before. Aside from probably when she invited him, Gerald and Phoebe to dinner at Chez Paris. But this time, it took the cake. Especially since she really reminded him of...Cecile, the beautiful girl who he had fallen in love with that one Valentine's Day. For that reason as well, he was absolutely stunned, speechless. You could have hit him with a baseball bat and he wouldn't have been as stricken as he was right now. The kimono, he thought, was very lovely on her, her makeup really softened her features and enhanced her pouty lips, and her hair was down, really adding to just how pretty she was.

She was so beautiful. He longed to touch her face, to hold her close, to stroke her golden tresses, and make her smile...

Arnold quickly shook his head, and blushed a bit. "Helga, y-you...look so...so..."

A nudge to the leg from the older blonde next to him was enough for him to courageously speak his mind. "Helga, you look beautiful."

Helga blushed a bit, bringing her arms behind her back a bit shyly. "Um, thanks Arnold. ...You don't look half bad yourself." A nudge came from the brunette next to her. "Oh fine. Sorry. I meant to say, you look really handsome, Football Head."

"Oh, well...thanks, Helga." The young boy's blush deepened.

She gestured with her eyes to the ninjas standing next to them, winking. Arnold noticed too, and chuckled a bit, since the older blonde and the brunette were also, staring at each other.

It was harder to read Deidara's expression then, which seemed to be fairly blank and unreadable, but also, pleasantly surprised. And indeed, he was. He wasn't taken aback nor stricken, but he did see that Casana was indeed pretty in her getup. Especially that she was blushing, and could see it wasn't just from her makeup. Of course, it wasn't often she dressed like this, or wore makeup for that matter, so it did add to the effect of being as pleasantly surprised as he was. She was not uber gorgeous or anything, but she looked lovely.

Casana was, of course, fiercely enraptured. She found his casual but maintained look to be exactly what his style would be. There was obviously more to her enrapture than just this particular moment, however. But either way, she even found that he too, had released the top knot from his hair and had tied it in the back, much like he had done in the old days, the pre-Akatsuki days.

"So, you look good...really good." The brunette finally said.

"No big deal, really, just had to look presentable." Deidara shrugged, and cleared his throat. "You look...well, really pretty."

More of a blush marred Casana's cheeks. "Thank you, I try." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other for a moment before she brought her arms behind her back shyly. "So, shall we go?"

"Well doi! Let's go, and get this over with." Helga was immediately at Arnold's side, taking his hand. She inwardly swooned when he had no objection to that, and even interlaced his fingers with hers.

"Well, you heard her, let's go." Following Helga's example, Deidara stepped over to Casana's side, and took her hand. And of course, his pesky handmouths decided to be annoying and lick her palm.

"Eee!" Casana squeaked. Even though they held hands just about all the time and she was used to it, they still managed to surprise her.

"Oops." The taller blonde chuckled. Despite that his handmouths could be annoying, he sure did enjoy the little squeaky yelps Casana would emit, and he wasn't above teasing her with them.

"You'll have to do something about those extra mouths, _Dad_." Helga laughed. _Sure wouldn't mind terrorizing everyone with mouths on my hands..._

"Oh hush up Hel-_Musashi_."

"Make me."

"Come on guys, let's go to the festival and have fun, that's what we're here for." Arnold intervened.

"Yes, _little brother_." Helga rolled her eyes, but she squeezed his hand affectionately and earned a squeeze back.

"Behave, you two." Casana couldn't help but add. "No funny business."

This made the two kids blush heavily, while the young adults gave a hearty laugh, until pretty soon all four of them were laughing as well.

XXX

"Hey look, a dance floor."

"That's pretty cool, it'll be fun to dance a little."

"Uh...no. I can't dance. I'll probably just stand around and listen to the music."

"Suit yourself, _Midona_."

"I will, _Rinku_."

The quartet were now at the festival being held in the large clearing in the outskirts of the village. All around there were vendors selling all kinds of merchandise, clothing and food, stands with various kinds of games where you could win prizes, activity booths, and there was also a wooden platform located in the middle of it all, with a large stage where a band of musicians were playing, and people were dancing.

While it wasn't a huge festival, given its modest size, but it was definitely bustling and seemed to be a lot of fun, since there was so much to do. It was hard to decide where to start!

"Okay, let's make a designated meeting point." Helga spoke up.

"How about there?" Arnold indicated to a huge marble sculpture of a dragon that was painted red, yellow and orange. "We can meet back at that statue in about an hour."

"All right, and if you two are in trouble, just tell the nearest adult. If, by chance, there's a ninja attacking you, don't worry, we'll be keeping our guard up and know if someone's coming within range. And don't wander off too far beyond the festival grounds." Casana advised. "We'll meet back at that dragon sculpture in an hour."

"That sounds like a good idea, we'll meet you guys back here in an hour then. So we'll-"

"Yadda yadda yadda, now come on, Football Head! I smell some good food that's just calling my stomach!" Helga interrupted him, grabbing the young boy's arm.

Arnold just laughed, following along with her. "Whatever you say, Helga."

As the two kids wandered off, the former Akatsuki members watched them go with perplexed gazes, and yet were completely amused by Helga's antics.

"She sure seemed to be in a hurry to get him away." Deidara chuckled.

"They're up to something." Casana raised an eyebrow. "I can tell. ...Oh well, it'll be nice for them to have a little time alone, to have fun for a change."

"It almost seems perfect, don't you think? There's four of us, and she loves him, it gives her an incentive to want to be alone with him. In turn," He snaked his arm around her waist, and the brunette blushed heavily. "We can be alone ourselves. They must be up to something, especially Helga there, because the circumstances are perfect."

"You can't possibly mean she's trying to get _us_ alone, are you?" Casana stammered then, her eyes wide.

"Well I'm not the mind reader here. Unless you probe her mind, I guess we'll never know."

"I-I can't do that to her! It's an invasion of privacy!"

"Relax, _chocolate head_, I'm just messing with you." He let go of her and smirked playfully.

"Well okay, but-...wait a second. Did you just call me _chocolate head_? The hell?"

"What can I say? You learn a thing or two from that gal. Besides, I couldn't resist trying to gauge your reaction."

Casana blinked, and managed a little laugh. "Well, okay, whatever. Looks like she really _is _her _father's daughter_, after all."

"Real funny." Despite rolling his eyes, a smile etched upon Deidara's lips. "Come on, may as well make the best of tonight. Let's go find something to do."

"Well, sure." She smiled as his hand slipped into hers, squeezing lightly.

A strange feeling coursed through her then, and her eyes shifted to the side, toward the outskirts of the clearing, out to the trees... She could have sworn she'd seen something. Or did she sense it? Either way, something was striking her and she had a weird feeling about it. Were they being stalked by enemy ninja? Rogues? Or was she just imagining things?

"Casana? Hey, you listening? Hello?"

Narrowing her azure eyes a moment, her expression grew tense, wondering if maybe she should-but then Deidara's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she looked back at him.

"Gee, _someone's_ on the moon tonight. What were you looking at, anyway?"

"Oh, um...nothing, it's nothing. I think I was just seeing things." Casana gave a sheepish smile. "It's nothing to worry about."

"You're the worst liar in the history of the world, you know that? But whatever. Come on, I'll bet you'll want to play some of those games over there."

_...Looks like we've got something in common, eh, Arnold? I guess I really wouldn't stand a chance if I ever did verbally deny my feelings..._

XXX

"Yeah...It's them all right. The Kusabana girl, and him, the...ah, yeah, sorry, his name's smudged. But yeah, it's them. Missing nins from the Village Hidden in the Stones, and former members of the criminal organization, the Akastsuki."

"_Excellent. Keep an eye on them, they will be headed for the village in the Rain, won't they?"_

"Affirmative. And those two weird kids too."

"_I see. Keep an eye on those two brats as well...We can see that they do indeed have a strange sense of energy from them._"

"You can count on me. I'll report back once I get some more information."

"_Good. And remember, if you fail this...you will face the consequences, my lowly minion._"

"...C-Copy that. Over and out."

The dark shadow within the trees then disappeared, leaving no trace of anyone having been there.

~~XX~~

**Yep! :D I gave Deidara and Casana Link and Midna's Japanese names, which was the **_**Twilight Princess **_**reference. And I gave Arnold and Helga Jessie and James' Japanese counterpart names, from **_**Pokemon**_**.**

**X3 Yep. Because I ship those pairings. ESPECIALLY Link and Midna, they are my favourite pairing in the entire **_**Legend of Zelda**_** franchise! OwO I only wish they made a sequel to TP! NOOOO!**


	30. Spring Festival Part 1

**This is part one of the festival. :) Stay tuned for part two.**

**Not much else to say, except, enjoy the story. X3 And remember, don't take it seriously. It's all just pure fun. :D This chapter contains 15% more Tobi! No, not that jerk off Madara. TOBI! ...Because I like my Tobi silly! :D**

**By the way, I'm paying homage to Darth Roden's fanfiction "The Broken Locket", so if you've read it all the way through so far, you'll know what I mean. :)**

**Also, Ayano belongs to my friend ~Ayano-Nara of deviantART, and she helped me a lot with this chapter. X3**

XXX

_It almost reminds me of the Cheese Festival. ...Only less cheesy._ Helga thought, taking in the festivities going on around her. _And I'm not trying to get Ruth or Lila out of the picture, I'm actually on a "date" with Arnold! It sure makes this whole thing a lot better._ She glanced at him, and squeezed his hand. He smiled at her sweetly and squeezed her hand back. _I'm still sure glad he's here with me in this strange ninja world, I don't know what I'd do if it wasn't him._

They passed a vendor selling rice balls. Helga had grown to really enjoy rice balls, and of course relented to go get some. Arnold followed without protest, and he too had developed a liking for rice balls, or Onigris as they were known. They bought a few, and paid the man, who was an older man in his sixties, and had complimented on how lovely Helga looked, making her just mutter a thanks and walk off.

"You take care of her, sonny boy." The man said to Arnold, winking at him.

"...I do my best, sir." Arnold murmured, following after Helga to go sit down with her.

"Kind of reminds you of the Cheese Festival back in Hillwood, doesn't it?" Helga brought up, already eating one of her rice balls, looking up at the starry night sky thoughtfully.

"Yeah, it kind of does." Arnold agreed, exhaling a little. "I wonder if we'll ever get back home. I mean, there should be a way, if there was a way to get _here_, then there has to be a way to get back home."

"You and your optimism. Feh, I don't even know anymore." Helga murmured, shaking her head. "I just want the answers before setting out to do anything. But I still want to find out if that amulet thing will have any answers, and if we can find out about it here."

"Well Helga, I guess that's all we can do. But for now," He finished a rice ball, and touched her hand. "Let's just have fun tonight, take our minds off everything. Okay?"

The young girl gave a soft blush and smiled. "...Yeah. Let's do that, Football Head. I'm with you on that one. ...Okay, I'm just gonna ask, are we on a date?"

Arnold's eyes widened, and he blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "I...um, well...yes, if you want it to be."

The sight of Helga's eyes lighting up with pure joy, as well as the blush on her cheeks deepening, and the smile on her face, was probably the happiest he had ever seen her. It seemed to make her much more beautiful than she already was. He couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth come over his heart, and not to mention his insides seem to freeze and heat up at the same time, at how happy and beautiful she looked then.

_Gosh, no wonder, she's happy to be on an actual date with me, all things considered. She looks so beautiful, I don't think I've seen her look this pretty, I guess aside from that time at Chez Paris, the dinner for four..._ He inwardly chuckled at the memory, and then found his gaze to be focused on her eyes. _She really has beautiful eyes._

Arnold realized he was still touching her hand, and he blushed some more, gently pulling away. Helga looked away, and resumed eating her rice balls.

_What just happened?_ Both of them seemed to wonder.

XXX

"Jeez, you might want to relax your strength a little." Deidara chuckled, shaking his head as he gestured to the broken milk bottles laying on the ground on the other side of the counter. "That's the third set of bottles you've broken!"

They were at the ball toss counter, and Casana had given it a try, but every time she threw the ball at the bottles, she ended up _shattering_ them, since she would throw the ball with too much force and not realize it. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it was pretty embarrassing.

"Hahaha, it's all right, Miss!" Laughed the proprietor. "Sometimes customers break the bottles when they throw too hard! Besides, I got plenty of spares for these kind of things." It seemed strange someone was so understanding about it, however, but neither of them questioned it for now.

"Come on, I can't help myself sometimes." Casana sighed, holding the last ball she had.

"You sure can't." Deidara took the ball from her, tossing it and then catching it. "Let me show you how it's really done." He winked at her, and smirked at her blush. With that, he turned back to the booth and then threw his arm back, tossing the ball toward the other stack of bottles, knocking all three of them down.

"Whoo! Winner!" The proprietor cajoled, taking down a stuffed dog, and holding it out.

"Here, take it." The young man took it, handing it to the brunette. "You've always wanted a dog, anyway."

"Oh, thank you!" Casana blushed a bit, hugging the stuffed dog to her. She looked at him with a big smile and against her better judgement, leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "You really didn't have to do that, but that was sweet of you to do. Thank you!"

When she turned away, Deidara brought a hand to his cheek where she'd kissed it, and blushed a bit, allowing a small smile to stretch at his lips. It was nothing compared to when they'd made out a couple of nights ago, but it did still make his insides heat up and freeze at the same time.

_She's so much more than I deserve..._ He thought bitterly.

XXX

"All right, so they split up. The brats are by the eatery vendors, and the Kusabana girl at the Explosive guy are walking away from a game stand."

"_Ah...so they split into pairs, I see._"

"Yeah! Hey, I could nab the kids, they're probably real weak!"

"_No. We will have to be strategic far better than that. We will not take action tonight. It will come to be at a moment they do not expect it. Now, have you anything on the children?_"

"Not a thing. They're just kids. But it's as if they came outta nowhere! No one has found any kind of file on them. They ain't related, though."

"_Well. I see. Do not heed them yet, but do keep an eye on them. The ones we want, are the former Akatsuki members. We wish to lure them in._"

"So what was _his_ plan for this?"

"_Simple...and as I have observed as well... Yes, a little thing called...love. We will strike where it will matter the most. Yes. You know, the Kusabana survivor indeed has strong feelings for her comrade...and you know she will do anything for his safety._"

"So what, you're saying we should capture him?"

"_Why yes. It will tear her apart, she will have no choice but to come to us, and heed to our demands. Attacking her will not work, but, attacking her heart will be much more effective, and we will lure them to rescue him. Await my instructions to kidnap him...and bring him to me, alive._"

"Roger that. Over and out."

XXX

"Hey you two kids! Would you like your picture taken? Couples get it half off!"

Arnold and Helga exchanged glances for a moment before looking at the woman who was holding a photo stand. She was using one of those old fashioned cameras that was something out of the 19th century or so, and there was a small hut where she probably printed and developed them. Once more they looked at one another, and gave a shrug as if to say "Hey, why not?"

"Sure, okay." Arnold finally said.

"All right, step right over here then!" The woman pointed over to a stool that sat in front of a hung fabric to serve as a backdrop.

The two kids stepped up to stand in front of the camera, looking a little nervous and unsure of what they should do. Helga blushed a bit, unable to believe that she was not only on her first real _date_ with Arnold, but also getting a picture with him!

"Mmm...you know, young boy, put your arm around her waist, will you?"

"Okay..." Arnold nodded, and tentatively brought his arm around Helga's waist. She didn't seem to mind, but she stiffened a bit and blushed.

Instinctively, Helga brought her own bell sleeved arm around Arnold's shoulders, to which caused him to also blush.

"Lovely, just lovely!" The woman said, and ducked down behind the curtain housing the camera. After a few moments, there was a blinding flash, and then she came back out again. "Would you like another one?"

"Yeah, sure." Helga said before Arnold could open his mouth.

Of course, he didn't have any complaints, but it did surprise him just a bit that she was willing to go through it. But at the same time, they also didn't have to worry about running into anyone they knew. Maybe because of that, Helga felt a bit more comfortable expressing herself?

His thoughts were screeched to a halt less than a second later, when Helga brought her arms around him, one around his shoulders, the other hand cupping his cheek. And then she leaned in and kissed him on his other cheek, making his eyes widen and both cheeks heat up. But unknown to him, his expression melted into a goofy, lovesick smile, his heart fluttering like mad in his chest.

"Awww! Adorable!" The photographer said, and took another photo of them in that pose. "Perfect! Now I'll just be a few minutes and I'll get them printed for you!" She took her camera and then disappeared into the hut.

"What was that for?" Arnold managed to finally ask, his gaze still a little lovesick.

"Oh, you know. I felt like it." Helga blushed a bit and let go of him. "Gotta have at least one good memory of this place."

He couldn't argue with that.

When Helga turned away, he brought his hand to his cheek where she had kissed him, feeling his cheeks get a little hotter, and his gaze became half-lidded and more lovesick than before.

_What have I done to deserve to be loved like that?_

XXX

"Come on, let's find something else to do."

"I think you might want to reconsider that for a minute."

"What do you mea-"

It happened. The inexplicable surprise was upon them now, and it came in the form of an old comrade. Someone they never expected to see again. Someone they thought was long gone far away by now. Someone they thought was living their own life. But no, they were back.

"Well hello!" Came the cheerful voice of a man, who was now right in front of them. The swirly orange mask with the single eye hole, the black outfit with the green scarf. "I never thought I'd see you again, senpais!"

"_Oh no..._" Deidara groaned in dismay. "Not the dumbass!"

"Oh boy." Casana murmured, shaking her head.

Tobi was immediately in between them, his arms around their shoulders, and they were pretty certain that he was grinning widely behind his mask.

"Fancy running into you guys here! Wow! What a small world! This is so cool!" Tobi exclaimed happily, his arms tightly around both of his former teammates. "So how are you guys? What are you doing? Where are you going? Ooh! Are you two finally together? Are you married? Did you have kids?"

"D-Don't say things like that!" Deidara hissed, blushing furiously.

_I wish._ Casana thought, her expression taking one of dismay. "No Tobi, we're just traveling around together, doing exactly what we'd done before the Akatsuki stepped in."

"Well that's cool! So heeeyy..." Tobi looked to his left at the blonde, and then at his right at the brunette. "You two look rather dashing tonight! Are you on a date?"

Casana looked away, expecting her companion to say no, but her gaze snapped back to them both as his answer left his lips.

"_Yes_, Tobi. We're on a date."

"Oooh! How cute!" Tobi exclaimed happily.

"Sure, whatever you say, now move along, I'm sure you have important business to attend to." Deidara managed to pull away, and took Casana's hand. "Come on Casana, let's go find-"

"Where are you going, sillies? We have so much to do! To catch up on!" The masked man came between them once more.

"Tobi, I'm _warning _you..." Deidara growled, but was then cut off.

"Okay okay, senpai, no more teasing! Ooh! Look! A dango vendor! I'm getting some!" Tobi immediately made a beeline for the nearby stand.

Palming his face, Deidara groaned and sighed, shaking his head. "Of all the people we had to run into tonight."

"It could be worse..." Casana offered, looking and sounding sheepish.

"Always looking at the bright side, aren't you?" A small smile crossed his features.

"Well...somebody has to."

XXX

"Pretty nice photos...aren't they?" Helga observed, looking over her copies of their photos. There were four, two copies for each photo, and they took one of each.

"They are." Arnold smiled, making a mental note to himself to frame them when they got back home. "At least it'll give us a good memory of being here."

"So...you _are_ having fun?" She asked, looking over at him shyly.

A soft blush marred his cheeks, as he put the photos away in their bag. "Y-Yeah, I am having fun, Helga. Like I said, it's pretty nice that we can enjoy ourselves and see the cultures of this world, and festivals are always nice to go to."

"...Oh." Helga murmured in disappointment, and looked away before he could see the expression on her face, inwardly scolding herself for acting like that in front of him.

Seeing his mistake, he held her hand. "But it's great that I'm here with you too, Helga. I...really do, well, like you...you know. A lot."

"Y-You're just saying that!" Helga pulled her hand away, trying to walk off, but her hand was grabbed by his again.

"Helga, I'm serious. I'd never lie to you like that. All things considered, do you think I'd really do that to you?"

"You sure had no problem doing that back on April Fool's Day."

A surge of guilt coursed through Arnold then, and he looked down at the ground in shame, but he squeezed her hand to prevent her from escaping. "I know. And I'm still sorry for that. I was only trying to get back at you, but in turn it looked more like I was playing with your emotions, and that was inexcusable. But, I want you to know I'd never do that to you, not intentionally. ...You mean a lot to me, Helga. And the last thing I would ever do is hurt you."

Looking back up at her, he was met with her widened blue eyes, and her hand going limp in the grip of his own, as she stared at him with utter shock. It must have still been a bit overwhelming to hear such things from him. And in these circumstances, no wonder.

"Arnold, I..." The young girl shook her head. "...Come on, let's go play some games. You can win me something."

The smile on her face said everything, and the fact that she wanted to make the situation a little less tense, made Arnold smile widely. He then raised their held hands, and kissed the back of hers. "Sure, Helga. That sounds like a great idea."

Helga blushed and found herself smiling at his affectionate gesture, feeling a lot better already. The smile didn't leave her face as they walked toward the game vendors of the festival, holding hands.

X~Much later~X

"Mmm..." A faint smell hit Casana's nose, and her gaze turned toward a nearby food vendor, coming to see that they were selling various kinds of rice balls. A grin came to her face as her mouth practically watered with hunger. "Deidara, I'm just going to get a couple of rice balls, I'm feeling pretty hungry. Would you wait here one second?" She said to her blonde companion.

"Sure, no problem, Casana. I'll wait here for you." Deidara nodded, watching as the brunette nature-lover left for the vendor's stand.

As Casana went to the vendor, that was when a couple of women, on the prowl, came forward. One was a fairly tall strawberry blonde dressed in a skimpy black dress, while her companion was a blonde, in an equally skimpy golden dress. Both of them had killer bodies and amazing tans, they were beautiful. "Helloooo." The strawberry blonde drawled. "Aren't you a tall drink of water..."

What's a gorgeous hunk of man-meat like you doing here all by yourself?" Purred the other blonde, twirling a lock of hair around her finger and winking at him flirtatiously.

"I'm not." Deidara scowled at the two scantily-clad women. "I'm actually waiting for my companion to come back with some food. So if you ladies don't mind, bug off."

"Oooohhh..." Both women giggled. "Playing hard to get, are you? That's pretty neat."

"No, I'm not." The bomber shook his head. "Now am-scray, both of you."

"Oh, come on, sexy..." The blonde drew up to him and trailed her finger down his chest, causing him to glare at her and back away. "You know you want us..."

"Yeah, come on...don't deny it, no man ever denies our-" The strawberry blonde purred.

"Hey!" Came an angered voice, and then Casana was immediately behind them. "Excuse me, but I would appreciate if you didn't flirt with my man." She said venomously.

"_Your _man?" Scoffed the other blonde. "I'm sorry, but I don't see your name anywhere on him. Just how is he your man?"

"You heard her, I'm taken." Deidara continued to scowl at the women. "Now beat it!"

Casana's frown deepened, her fist clenched. "He happens to be my _husband_."

"Your husband? Please! You can't be. Why would he fall for a mess like you? Prove it." Said the strawberry blonde.

"Yeah, if he's really your husband, then prove it to us!" Agreed the other blonde. Deidara was slightly taken aback when Casana called him her husband, but he said nothing to deny otherwise, simply watching to see what the brunette would do.

"Fine then." Casana stepped past them and went before the man she loved, her breath catching her throat and her heart pounding vigorously. Her unsure, nervous gaze met his, but she knew she had to do it, no way was she going to let a couple of sluts flirt with him! Exhaling, she brought her hand to the nape of his neck, leaned upward and kissed him.

Stormy blue eyes went wide and Deidara stiffened for a moment when Casana kissed him. But after only a moment, he seemed to melt into the kiss and began to kiss her back, encircling his arms around her waist, his hands resting lightly upon her hips. _On second thought...I could get used to this..._

The two women there just stared, a bit wide-eyed, before uttering grunts of disgust. "You filthy stupid, pig! How DARE you! C'mon sis, let's go." Muttered the strawberry blonde.

Casana didn't even seem to hear them as she lost herself in the kiss, bringing her hands to his shoulders. It reminded her of a few nights before when they'd made out a bit, and now it was all coming back full force. Not to mention she inwardly squealed at that he was kissing her back.

"Yeah, there's plenty of other eligible men around here, sis..." Agreed the other blonde, a note of spite in her tone. "Like that slick silver-haired man. Sure, he cursed like a sailor, but he was HOT stuff!"

Paying no attention to the slutty women as they stalked off, Deidara further deepened the kiss by running his tongue eagerly across Casana's lips, begging for entrance into her sweet cavern. He pulled her closer, relishing the way in which their bodies fit so perfectly together, as he remembered their little make-out session a few nights ago.

Her knees went weak, but Casana eagerly opened her mouth to grant entrance to his tongue and eventually wound her arms around his neck to bring herself even closer, her kisses growing more passionate and filled with longing.

Feeling a jolt of pleasure coursing up his spine, Deidara responded by moving his hands up to the small of her back, his tongue diving into her mouth as soon as she permitted its entry, hungrily tasting her and exploring every nook and cranny it could reach. Smirking deviously to himself, one hand began trailing up and down her spine, as the other hand reached up and fisted into her soft brown locks.

A moan escaped the brunette, making her melt against him as their tongues dueled, and she too took a chance in exploring his mouth, tasting something like bakudan with a mix of noodles. Her body writhed and tingled with pleasure at the feel of his hand on her back and in her hair, and she followed suit, running one hand through his hair.

Another shiver of pleasure coursed up and down his spine, and he began combing his fingers through her silky-soft hair, while his other hand continued trailing up and down her back. He inhaled deeply as they continued to kiss, her unique but intoxicating scent, a mixture of wild flowers and strawberries, filling his nose and driving his other senses wild, as well.

The scent of clay, and...was that cologne? _Since when did he of all people wear that? Arnold must have talked him into it..._ Casana mused. It all mixed well with a hint of forest...she liked it, the combination was intoxicating to her. She began to wonder if maybe he'd be up to making out later on when they maybe in a more secluded spot.

Deidara could've kissed her forever, but soon breathing became a necessity, and they broke apart to catch their breaths. "Wow. What was..._that_...all about...?" He panted, gazing at his companion curiously.

"...Um...I...g-guess...h-heat of the moment." She managed to say, panting lightly, and almost wanted to laugh at the irony of that statement. "I wanted to drive away those...girls, and I guess I got carried away."

"Well...not like I'm complaining about it or anything, but, I have my suspicions that it was more than just 'heat of the moment', am I right?" The clay-bomb technician said in an almost-accusing, no-nonsense tone.

Her eyes widened at this. _He's on to me...shit!_ "I-I don't know what you're talking about. We're close friends, I'm not that against the idea of...k-kissing you." The brunette backed away a little, blushing.

A smirk crossed his features, and his stormy eyes glinted with mischief. "Oh, I think you know exactly what I'm talking about...Casana-_chan_...You're a lousy liar." Oh, now she was in trouble, he never used a suffix attached to her name without some kind of a reason. He advanced on her as she backed away, attempting to corner her. "So come on, why don't you explain to me what that really was just now...?"

"I-It was nothing, I swear!" Casana's eyes widened further as she backed away, and found herself against a nearby tree.

"You wouldn't be so nervous if it was nothing." Deidara's smirk widened, as he had her pinned against the tree. "Now, tell me honestly, why did you kiss me so intensely like that?"

"I don't...I mean...What else are you supposed to do when the wrong kind of person is hitting on the person you love? !" Casana suddenly yelled, aggression rising within her and her tone.

"Wait a minute...back up. Did you just say you-?" Deidara exclaimed, confusion etched into his features. _Where the hell have I heard THIS before?_ "How...how long...have you been hiding that from me?"

"Too _damn long_. Oh, screw it. You heard me, pal! I love you! Why else would I have helped you to get away from our comrades when you stole the village's kinjutsu, or when I followed you out into the world, and even joined the Akatsuki? I did all of that because I love you! I've always loved you...e-ever since I first met you! Ever since then and even to know I've wanted to be able to tell you I feel! ...I love you, okay?" Came her passionate, aggressive response. _Where did THAT come from?_ The brunette now thought in shock. _Oh goodness, Helga is rubbing off on me more than I thought! She's right, this is what happens when you hold it in too long._

"...wow. And to think that all this time, I've been in love with you, but I just didn't know how to tell you. Or I was afraid you wouldn't return my feelings, or hell, even that you'd laugh in my face and ask me how I could ever think you'd love me back! I guess I should've just come out with it all along...I never could've imagined that you'd feel the same way as I do..." Came the blonde former Iwa ninja's stunned response. _Whoa, I knew she might've liked me all this time...but I NEVER would've imagined she loved me. Let alone loved me back. Talk about confusing._

Casana was breathless, panting from her passionate outburst, but before she could properly register what he'd said, something cut her off.

And it was just as surprising.

"Deidara-nii!" Came the excited, high-pitched squeal from across the festival grounds. "Oh my god, is it really you?"

"H-Huh?" Deidara looked around frantically for the source of the voice, feeling his blood run cold. "Oh no...please don't tell me..."

CRASH!

A sandy-blonde blur slammed into him just then, tackling him down to the ground and capturing him in a fierce hug. "Oh, Deidara-nii, it really is you! I haven't heard from you in so long! You just stopped writing to me all of a sudden, and...oh my God, I thought you were DEAD!"

"Meow!" Joined in a feline cry from the figure's arms.

"A-Ayano?" Casana gasped in shock at the younger girl. "Is that really you?"

"H-Hey there, squirt..." A relieved smile came to the older blonde's face. "Long time no see." For a split second he had thought it was...someone else, but was glad to see that it was not the case.

"Really long time!" Ayano Sunada smiled tearfully at her older cousin. "Why did you stop writing to me, Deidara-nii? I was really scared that something had happened to you when I stopped receiving letters!" Her teary sea-green eyes then landed on the brunette. "Oh my God, hi Casana! I haven't seen you in years!"

"Meow!" Said Ayano's ninja cat, Chidarake, in agreement.

"Well...long story." Deidara helped his cousin to her feet as he stood up too.

"Hey! There you guys are!" Piped up a voice from nearby. "You never showed up at our meeting point, what gives?" They all turned to see the two kids walking over to them. both curious and confused...while Helga was a bit ticked off.

"Sorry." Casana apologized, looking sheepish. "We just lost track of the time."

"Hey, who are these two?" Ayano asked, her eyes falling curiously on the two blonde-haired kids.

"Meow?" Chidarake twitched her left ear, yellow eyes watching the kids with curiosity.

"Oh, I'm their kid. This Football Head's adopted." Helga said nonchalantly, not at all knowing who Ayano was and was just going along with their cover.

Casana's eyes widened and she blushed heavily, as her blonde comrade. "W-Well, um..."

"You're their...kid?" Ayano repeated, confusion marring her features as she turned to her cousin. "Deidara-nii, since when did you and Casana-chan get married and have a kid?"

"Um..." Arnold nudged Helga lightly. "I don't think that girl knows what's going on here. She's obviously related to and very close with Deidara, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't realize that they're supposed to be undercover right now..."

"...Oh." The blonde girl murmured, looking sheepish. "...I knew that!"

"Yeah right." Chuckled Deidara. "Actually this is Ayano, she's my cousin. No need to use our cover. Unless you want to, that is."

"Oh ha ha!" Helga rolled her eyes but grinned. "So, nice to meet ya. The name's Helga."

"My name's Arnold. It's nice to meet you, Ayano." Arnold introduced himself and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, too!" Ayano smiled and shook his hand. "And yes, you're right, Deidara-nii is my cousin, but I like to think of him as my big brother, too! And this here is my cat, Chidarake."

"Meow!" Said Chidarake.

"You always did." Casana recalled, and cleared her throat. "What are you doing around here, Ayano?"

"Yeah squirt, it's funny running into you in a place like this, seriously." Agreed the oldest blonde.

"Oh, you know, it's a festival! I'm here to have a little fun!" Explained the sandy blonde. "After all, can't a Jounin kunoichi spend her well-earned vacation having fun at a festival?"

"Meow!" Agreed the ninja cat.

"Sure you can." Deidara ruffled her hair playfully, chuckling. "Guess you can say we're doing the same thing."

"Double date, toots." Helga winked toward the sandy-blonde. "If you know what I mean."

"Yeah...double date..." Casana blushed heavily.

Ayano giggled, but playfully stuck out her tongue when the older blonde ruffled her hair. "That's great! Why don't we all hang out together for a little while later on? That is, if you want to?"

"Well...I guess that sounds okay to me..." Arnold nodded, blushing slightly as he glanced sideways at Helga.

"Guess so." Helga shrugged, and noticed his look, and found herself blushing too.

"Hey why not, sounds fine to me." Said the older blonde.

"I'd like that too." The brunette smiled.

"Great!" The sandy blonde beamed at her cousin and best friend. "We can all have fun together! It'll be just like old times! Right, Deidara-nii? Casana-chan?"

"Meow!"

"Sure thing, 'cept we popped out a kid." Joked Deidara, and lowered his voice. "But yeah, that's our cover. Might want to play along with that if you can."

"Let's go, _dad_, we should do something." Helga tugged at the end of her "father's" jacket, making a pouty face for good measure.

Casana giggled. "You heard her, hon, let's all go find something to do."

"So as long as you don't _break_ any bottles again."

"Ohhh." Ayano nodded, lowering her voice, too. "Okay then, I gotcha. Why don't we just say we're brother and sister, then?"

Arnold couldn't help chuckling behind his hand at the pouty face Helga was making. In all the time he'd known her, he'd never seen her pout before. "If you guys are close enough, that might work a bit more."

"Sure, we can do that." Agreed the oldest blonde, and gave a grin. "By the way, our cover names are Rinku and Midona. The kids here are Musashi and Kojiro."

"Keep it in mind, Auntie." Helga said, and took a blushing Arnold's hand.

"Gotcha, Rinku-nii." The younger blonde giggled. Then she turned to Casana. "And I guess I'll call you Midona-nee, since you are "married" to nii-san. Hee hee!"

"Meow!" Said Chidarake.

_I wish!_ Was all Casana could think then, and blushed heavily as her mind returned to earlier. "Y-Yeah...true."

"Bet you'd like that, wouldn't ya?" Helga whispered to the brunette, snickering.

"I know what we can do!" Ayano piped getting an idea. "How about we all go dance? I think they're playing some fun techno dance music on the dance floor over there."

"Hey, I'm in." Helga said, glancing at her companion. "Think they'll have _tango_ music?"

Arnold's eyes widened, and blushed a bit. "W-Well...maybe?"

Casana blanched. "Uh...I think I hear Tobi calling my name!" Before anyone could say anything, she was gone in a flash.

Ayano raised an eyebrow. "Deidara-nii, is she STILL unsure about her dance skills? Goodness."

"Afraid so." Said the older blonde. "I'll be back, the art of dancing isn't _that_ difficult." Shaking his head, Deidara went off in the direction Casana did to go find her.

"What was that about?" Helga wondered out loud.

"I don't think she was freaked about the dancing." Arnold remarked, scratching his head.

"Did anyone notice that they both have smeared lipstick around their mouths? What's that about?" Ayano asked neither of them in particular.

Helga's eyes widened with realization, and she nudged Arnold on the side, grinning with triumph.

"Looks like we did, Football Head."

Realizing what she was saying, Arnold blushed some more. "I-I guess so."

"What? What are you two talking about? Did I miss something here?" Ayano questioned them curiously.

XXX

"_So, a member of his extended family is here, you say..._"

"Yep, his cousin, apparently."

"_I see...this could be of interesting use to our advantage._"

"Heh heh, yeah! So uh, what do I do now? Should we still go according to plan?"

"_Yes, you mindless fool. However, keep an eye on the cousin...perhaps she too, could be of use to us._"

"Okay then. There's also this strange energy and power coming toward here, but I don't know what it could be or where it came from."

"_Is that right. Well, keep an eye for that as well...and again, await my instructions, and do nothing to expose yourself._"

"Roger that. Over and out."


End file.
